Teen Jaegers Unite
by Jerim
Summary: (SEQUEL TO TEEN JAEGER ADVENTURES) Anchorage, Alaska seemed like a place where the teen jaegers couldn't possibly find trouble. Too bad for the Marshal, it seems to follow them wherever they go. New friends, new enemies, and a whole new challenge: survive high school.
1. PROLOGUE

**ALRIGHT, here's a teaser to the Teen Jaeger sequel! This is just a snippet, with the first chapter coming out a week or two from now. Also, fair warning this part has some violence in it BUT ITS GOING TO GET MUCH MORE LIGHTER AND INNOCENT AS IT GOES ON, in order to keep with the humor of its predecessor. Anywho, enjoy and please review! **

* * *

"_Torvarich, na menya!" _Cherno's breath hissed out like steam through a pipe. He could feel the sweat seeping from Crimson's back onto his as they stood against each other, fists raised against the snowy darkness.

He knew Striker was out there, somewhere, waiting to step in just in case….

Well…just in case he and Crimson died.

"On your left!" The nearby snowbank exploded with a roar, and in a flurry of neon eyes and claws the Chinese jaeger was ripped away.

" CATEGORY IV SIGHTED! ENGAGING!" Ice shattered beneath Cherno's heavy combat boots as he took off, veins pumping red hot primal fury into his bare muscles.

Crimson hit the ground in a roll, barely missing the razor sharp jabs aimed at his neck. Crashing into a dumpster, he pushed off of it, his boot connecting with the kaiju's face. A cracking sound pierced the night.

The female kaiju slid back into a crouch, a snarl tugging at her mouth as she dabbed at the kaiju blue dripping from her noise. "Hm, I'm impressed," her voice slid out silky smooth, distracting Crimson long enough for her to lunge past his guard and rake her claws across his ribs.

Searing pain lanced through him, forcing him back. Vision blurring, he attempted his signature move. "THUNDERCLOUD FORMATION!" With a whirr his mechanical third arm cut through his sweatshirt. His hands where a blur as they beat into the kaiju.

"Crimson, I'm open!"

A grin tugged at the jaeger's face as he pushed off the ground, flipping over his opponent and chucking her at Cherno Alpha.

Rolling to a stop at his feet, she had barely enough time to dodge the fist forming a small crater right next to her head. Looking up, she stared wide eyed at the hulking teenage boy before her.

"Mess with Crimson Comrade, mess with me," Cherno cracked his knuckles. He had her right where he wanted her.

He saw him through mid-swing, Striker standing a few feet away from him. The horror in the Aussie's eyes reflected the massive figure that was now standing behind him.

Cherno didn't even have time to react. His coat was grabbed, a fist bigger then his face came crashing up to meet him, then that was it.

"You mess with Otachi, you mess with me: Leatherback ," the new kaiju rumbled. The body of a heavy-weight wrestler, snow steamed off his bare chest as his scales glowed in the dark.

Cherno tried desperately to recover, bending low and going for a gut punch, but his arm was blocked, and the second punch sent him to his knees.

Blood in his eyes, the world spun around him in a red haze. He tried to focus, tried to stand up. He could see Crimson's struggling in Otachi's grip, his face obscured by her tail.

"Crimson!" He could hear Striker's strained cry as his best friend's pleas for help suddenly stopped with a sickening snap.

"Tovarich!" He tried to move, he really did, but his neck was grabbed and suddenly he found himself leaning over the frozen fountain in the courtyard they were in.

"Slattern sends his regards," with a lurch the ice was broken. Water poured into Cherno's screaming mouth as he struggled against the hand that held him under.

Even as darkness took him he could still hear Striker screaming in the distance.

"Don't worry, Cherno! I'm coming for you!"

Then there was nothing.

* * *

Cherno awoke with a start, almost hitting Gipsy in the head. Giving a frightened squeak, the girl jumped back.

'WHOE! HOLD ON! I'M SORRY I WAS JUST TRYING TO WAKE YOU UP!" Her hair had been cut shorter now, laying in a messy halo around her head. She was in her blue bunny pajamas, so it must of been morning.

"Wake me...?" The Russian stared at her expression, confused.

"Yeah...you're late for breakfast, so Sasha sent me to wake you," her expression darkened with worry, "you were thrashing around and yelling...I think you were having a nightmare..."

His silence was his response, brow furrowed.

Gently, she grabbed his stuffed pony and handed it to him. "Do...do you remember what it was about?"

Frigid green eyes snapped up to meet her, suddenly clear and focused. "Nyet, remember nothing. "

"Oh, alright then. Maybe that's a good thing," her smile instantly came back. "Now put some pants on, Herc is making waffles and Crimson and Striker are having a contest on who can shove the most spoons up their nose!"

"Come on, I beat both of them!" Whooping, he jumped out of bed, and flinging Gipsy over his shoulder he sped off to the cafeteria, the two of them laughing all the way.

* * *

**To be continued! **


	2. Teen Jaeger High School Adventures

The day was going well for Crimson until he had to get out of bed.

"Please….my core needs five more minutes to recharge," he pleaded sleepily at the alarm screeching into his ear. When it failed to comply, it was promptly shoved off the nightstand to land in a clatter on the floor.

Crimson sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily as he pressed the "off" button with his foot. He couldn't understand how his brothers managed to get up three hours before him. His body might have been stronger than a human's, but apparently it needed a lot more sleep.

His seemingly fathomless dark eyes glanced up at the concrete ceiling with mild irritation, missing the days of wooden walls and open windows letting in soft summer breezes. At least now he was with his brothers, despite now living in what he decided was the coldest place on earth.

"Alright," he sighed to himself in defeat, tugging at his grey flannel pajamas. "Time to go to school."

* * *

"NO, RALEIGH! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I REFUTE THEE!"

"Come on, Gip, it's for the best!"

"YOU MADE ME GO TO SCHOOL LAST WEEK! WHY DO I HAVE TO GO NOW?"

"Because school continues for another eight months."

"EIGHT MONTHS?! I AM GOING TO DIE!"

Crimson paused, deep red school bag slung over his shoulder, watching an exasperated Raleigh tug at a protesting Gipsy, who had someone glued herself to the doorframe of their living quarters.

"Morning, Mr. Becket," he called out politely, "do you need any help?"

"If you happen to have a crow bar, that would be appreciated," the young man let out a wry chuckle as he finally managed to pry his adopted sister away from the door.

"NO! FIGHT THE SYSTEM! I DIDN"T DO ANYTHING WRONG TO DESERVE AN EIGHT MONTH SENTENCE!"

"Eight month sentence? It's school, not prison," Raleigh sighed, handing her pink and grey backpack to her, looking for all the world like a worn out father.

Gipsy grabbed her back pack, grumbling as her pilot shut the door. "I hate this. Crimsy, let's just run away."

"I don't think it's that bad, I mean, our pilots and the Marshal are just trying to look out for us," he defended as began walking with her. "I think they want us to get a taste of the outside world or something, instead of locking us up inside the shatterdome forever. We're human now, the rules are different."

"I guess you're right about that," she muttered, tugging at her hair. Her pony tail was a tad shorter now, her hair loosely pulled back into it. Wild tuffs of dyed red hair stuck out around her ears, left there for her to pull nervously at. "Why do you have to be so intuitive about crap like this?"

Crimson only shrugged, tugging at his blood-colored sweatshirt and jeans. He wasn't used to pants, but once he began to experience what cold felt like he found them to be a necessity. Gipsy had cast aside her summer wardrobe as well, instead going for a leathery bomber jacket and heavy duty boots, though he could still see her favorite cookie tank top peeking out from underneath.

Together, they walked out of a service door and out into the crisp morning. Winter had not yet hit, though warnings of its coming crackled in the air.

Cherno and Striker were waiting for them at the checkpoint gate at the end of the complex, leaning against the security booth nonchalantly. The Russian jaeger looked like he always did, his hat tucked low and his face burrowed into the collar of his heavy overcoat. A sporty leather jacket hug over Striker's back, his jaeger emblem emblazoned across his undershirt.

The Aussie smirked, "late, as always. Let me guess, Crimson was being lazy and Gipsy was busy putting on her make up."

"I do NOT wear makeup!" Gipsy huffed, looking outraged, "I don't even know how it works!"

"Well, looking at your appearance maybe it's time you found out," he snickered.

The security guard into the booth didn't even look up from his cat magazine as Striker was suddenly smashed unceremoniously against the window. Things like that tended to happen a lot, and by now he was used to it.

"Is this going happen every day?" Crimson rubbed his messy black hair.

"Striker's a jerk, he deserves it," Gipsy replied, skipping over to cheer on Cherno as beat up Striker.

The bus came a minute or so later, the driver being hired by the PPDC to ferry the kids to and from school. As always they sat in clustered in the back, behind rows of empty seats as the vehicle chugged onto the road.

* * *

"Alright, hopefully none of you wankers forgot your fake names over the weekend," Striker snorted, swaying with the buck and rumble of the bus.

"Vitaly Kaidenovsky," Cherno grunted in reply.

"Louisa Becket," Gipsy piped up.

"Jun Wei Tang," Crimson nodded.

"Beck Hansen," Striker smiled cockily, pointing at his chest. "All part of the PPDC project to rehabilitate orphans of the war."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Crimson sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. "You just use your alias to brag about yourself."

"Well considering I single handedly closed the breach, I deserve bragging rights."

"OH SHUT UP! I WAS THERE, TOO," losing her temper, Gipsy threw her back backpack at him. They fought in the back of the bus until they reached the school.

Anchorage was a stubborn city. It spat in the face of the kaiju war by digging deeper into the Alaskan earth and building higher than it had ever gone before. It earned the soil it stood on through sweat and gold and blood, and not even the threat of giant monsters was going to make it's people leave. Now that the war was over, everything had been upgraded to state of the art, including the high school the jaegers pulled up to.

A week into the school year and Crimson had already figured out a good way to survive: hide behind Cherno. He was easily the tallest boy in school, a beacon that his friends clustered around as they made their way underneath the stone arches and into the main entrance, losing themselves in the swarming throng of students.

* * *

"AAAAAeeeeeuuuggggh," Gipsy let out a dramatic dying groan and flopped her head onto the black science table, knocking a beaker over.

"WHOAH," Crimson let out a squeak as he barely saved it from rolling off the edge.

"It's official, chemistry is of the devil," she announced, sitting back up, "how do we make sense of this?" Frowning, she curiously squinted at the instruction paper. "Maybe you should have picked a different lab partner; I'm not too good at this."

"N-no," he stuttered, adjusting his lab glasses. "I wouldn't have picked anyone else. You're my friend."

"Yeah, but I'm terrible at this. You should of picked one of those girls over there. They look smart, and besides, I think they like you,' she tilted her head at the group of fresh faced girls in the corner, fresh faced and silky hair, they immediately burst into shy giggles the second Crimson caught their eye.

His face instantly reddened, "no…I can't. You see…" he leaned in closer, his voice nothing but a whisper, "they only like me because they think I'm smart."

Gipsy let out a horrified gasp," what?! But you're, like, the third stupidest guy I know!"

"I know! It's horrible!" His head dropped into his hands," just…come on, let's try to sort this experiment out."

Gipsy handed him the paper, 'I think we're supposed to ignite something? I don't really know. I wish Cherno was here, his mom taught him all about explosives, I'm sure he would ace this class. "

"About that," he suddenly turned to her, expression serious. "Is…is the big guy okay?"

Her golden eyes widened, "what do you mean?"

"These past few days he's seemed….off. Like, he keeps giving me these looks like…like I'm dying or something."

"Has he told you about the nightmares?"

This took him by surprise, "what? No."

Gipsy stopped pouring random chemicals into the beaker long enough to look at him, "I woke him up from one about two weeks back. I think it really scared him but he says he doesn't remember what it's about," her voice lowered, "I think it's been happening a lot, but he never wants to talk to me about it. "

"I think he doesn't want us to know that there's a problem. You know he likes being the strong, immovable mountain of the group."

"Maybe you should talk to him, then," she replied, "you know how to talk to people that aren't girls, so maybe you can find out what's going on."

"I d-d-don't know how to talk to people," he protested.

"Yes you do! You've already made some friends, while I'm still stuck on zero," she grumbled.

"Aw come on, you're bound to meet someone new."

'Yeah right," Gipsy scoffed, turning back to her chemicals.

And that's when she saw him.

Silver eyes, sharp as a knife, flickered from underneath a worn indigo hoodie. Fingers graced across tan skin as a slender mouth opened to speak a greeting.

Gipsy let out a strangled squeak and dropped the wrong chemical into the beaker. A split second later the chemistry room exploded.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! Who is this new mystery person? FIND OUT NEXT WEEK! :P also, thanks to Big Fan, Tel Nok Shock, Catmaz, Redcat66, ShepardisaBOSS, Xahras, and all those guests. :) and as always, read, review, and enjoy. ALSO I totally wouldn't mind you posting your theories about this new person and where the story might be going! :D **


	3. New Face, New Trouble

It almost looked like the opening to a rock concert with all the smoke and flashing lights streaming from the chemistry room. Students poured out of the doorway, screaming and coughing, their cacophony drawing the attention of the surrounding classrooms as chaos began to break out in the science hall.

It felt like her lungs were on fire. Throat running ragged, Gipsy tried to stagger to safety, her eyes stinging from the smoke. Blinded, she tried to reach for Crimson, but he wasn't there.

Her foot hit a chair, sending her to the floor. Frantically, she felt along the wall for a way out as the smoke got thicker. "C-crimson…where…where are you? Please d-d-don't leave me here…Crimson…"

Strong arms wrapped around her as she was scooped up into a protective embrace. Her face became buried in unfamiliar, yet soft material that smelled like the sea. Too confused to protest, she allowed herself to be carried out of the classroom.

* * *

A few minutes later cold water was splashed into her eyes, washing away some of the sting. Blinking at the pain, she managed to open them to find herself laying in a different hallway, with two boys hovering over her, one familiar, one not.

"You still have your eyeballs, good," Crimson sighed in relief, squeezing his friends hand.

"What…." Gipsy sat up, confused.

"Well, to start: You kinda set the chemistry room on fire."

"Cherno would be proud."

"This isn't funny," he scoffed, "I lost you in all the commotion, it was scary. Luckily, this guy over here went back in to save you," he motioned to the stranger kneeling next to him, which turned out to be the boy in the blue hoodie from the last chapter. "I think you owe him one."

Gipsy turned to face him, staring into those odd silver eyes that flickered shyly away from her. "Hey, thanks. I mean, I would have found my way out eventually, but thanks anyway. Also, your sweatshirt smells nice, like sea unicorns."

The boy's shoulders hunched up in embarrassment as his lips tried to form a crooked grin, his face twitching as if he didn't know how to perform the expression. "What's a unicorn?"

Before Gipsy could insult him for his ignorance on one of the most majestic creatures on earth, Crimson interjected. "Hey, what's your name?'

"…Rhoades, " the word choked off his tongue, as if he wasn't used to saying it.

"Sweet, I'm Giii-er, Im Louisa, and this is Jun," Gipsy smiled.

"Jun?" Rhoades affixed him with a curious gaze. "This is the friend you were looking for, right?"

"uh, yeah?"

"But in the room…you were searching for a Crimson…like…Crimson Typhoon? "

Crimson's eyes became like saucers as he affixed Gipsy with a frightened glare. Gipsy, red faced and sweating profusely tried to backpedal. "Er…um…well…"

"THERE YOU ARE," like a fowl mouthed angel descending from the heavens, Striker suddenly appeared, Cherno at tow. From the looks of their t-shirts and basketball shorts, they had just gotten out of gym class. "WE WERE LOOKING FOR YOU BLOODY GOBS EVERYWHERE! ANY OF YOUR LIMBS BURNT OFF?"

"Wait…how did you know so fast that something was wrong," Crimson cocked an eyebrow.

"Cherno senses tell me, I know when things get set on fire, " the Russian muttered darkly.

"Oh….kay."

It was at this time that Striker Eureka decided to affix his gaze on Rhoades, who was sitting a little too close to Gipsy for his liking. "Oi, who's this wanker?"

Jerking his hood nervously, he stood up. "Er…I need to go. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone who started the fire," he spoke hastily as he made his retreat. The jaegers watched him go.

"Humans are freakin' weird," Striker snorted as he bent down to gnaw on Gipsy's ponytail.

"I thought he was nice. He helped me out," Gipsy protested, tugging away from the Aussie. "Also, he has pretty eyes, like a snake."

"Snakes are pretty?" Cherno shook his head in disbelief as he helped his best friend up.

Crimson put on a hand on Striker, who he knew was silently writhing in jealously. "Ease up, he seemed pretty cool. The quiet type, but cool. Come on, the cafeteria is selling a thing called "ice cream", maybe we should check it out?"

"OOOO THAT'S THE STUFF YOU CAN LICK, RIGHT?"

"Ice cream? Okay, Crimson comrade, let's go!"

"Hmph, fine. But I'm not paying."

The rest of the day glided along as the teen jaegers downed their problems in delicious frozen dairy products. The evening bell rang in no time, and classes were dismissed for the day, leaving the jaegers to run out of the school, wooping happily.

Rhoades sat hunched on a nearby hill, sun at his back, wind tugging his hoodie. He watched the kids filing into the buses, studied their faces like a hawk. They swarmed like a mass, walking aimlessly and never seeming to shut up. He hated it, he missed the silence that used to follow him.

With a sigh, he turned to face the setting sun, eyes flashing. The easy part of the day was over, he had finally found the girl he was looking for. Now all he had to do was face the night, for that was when the real work began.

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED! NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT CHARACTER PERSPECTIVE, SO STAY TUNED! special thanks to: Blood Skull, God of Godzilla, Sketchy Watcher, Tel Nok Shock, DawnfireJazz, Xahraxs, ShepardisaBOSS, Elhini Prime, and the lovely Catmaz. And as always, READ, REVIEW, ENJOY :D **_


	4. The Hunt Part 1

She lays in the darkness, eyes flashing like neon embers as she waits. Rain splashes against her scales, her tail idly scratching against the dirt.

Otachi doesn't move until her prey does. Her muscles uncoil like a spring, launching her out of the brush.

The Bull Moose tries to put up a fight; Ram her, shake her off, but Otachi wraps her tail around its neck and using her body weight pulls it to the ground. Five seconds later it's all over.

"Pathetic," her voice slips out smooth as silk, "my old form never needed sustenance like this."

"Your old form was a lot different than this one," Leatherback emerges from the bush with some difficulty, his bulky frame not built for stealth like his partner. His eyes light up at her kill, but he doesn't say anything. She knows he's silently asking for permission, she knows how hungry he is but she's willing to let him suffer just a little longer.

"Different does not always equal improvement, "the female kaiju slowly stood up, wiping her hands on the tattered grey dress that clung around her body. "Now want do you want?"

"Slattern wants everyone back for dinner, "he growled, yellow eyes flashing at the name of his pack leader, "need help dragging your kill back?"

"Well, since you're so willing," Otachi purred as she walked past, her tail gently caressing his chest before she vanished into the trees, leaving a red faced Leatherback in her wake.

* * *

The kaiju had made their den in a crumbling mansion anchored to a cliff, the ocean raging far beneath it. With the coming of the gloomy dawn comes dinner time for the kaiju, and a loud mess for Slattern.

He sat on a throne of stone and animal bones, chiseled face hidden beneath a pale hood as he glowered out at the monster horde he lorded over. Dinner was always a hassle, as it was the one time all the pack members were together in the same room.

They were all there, far more than the teen jaegers, clustered together in a mad house of growling and screeching, of gnashing teeth and twitching claws.

It seemed like the main entertainment of the evening was watching the top kaiju argue over Otachi's kill, which she had just put on the table.

"What…is that?" Scunner scowled furiously down at the dead moose Leatherback and Otachi had brought in, as if his gaze alone could set it on fire.

"It's a type of land creature," Leatherback replied where he sat, "Otachi says it's edible."

"A-are you sure…" from Scunner's hulking shadow, his younger brother Raiju poked hesitantly at the fur, eyes smoldering like embers from underneath his hoodie.

"You doubt me, pup?" Otachi's expression was icy as her tail flicked, smacking Raiju's hand away from the food. The younger kaiju yelped and went back to hiding behind his big brother.

"Watch it around my brother," Scunner hissed dangerous. The second tallest kaiju, he was covered with all sorts of scars and markings, making it look like a skull was carved into his face. He was Slattern's second in command, and for good reason.

"Watch it around Otachi," Leatherback stood up, pounding his fists onto the table with a loud slam. Smaller than Scunner, what he lacked in height he made up for in bulk, his Samoan form was all muscle.

The cacophony increased as the tension grew. There was blood in the air and it was just making the monsters crazier. The grand hall was filled with excited roars and hooting as the four kaiju all coiled up, ready for battle…

…until Slattern stood up.

The place instantly fell silent. "What's all this commotion? " His voice slid out, smooth as silk, "are you not pleased with tonight's dinner?" No kaiju dared to make eye contact as he stepped to the floor.

His claws gripped around Raiju's head as he forced the younger kaiju to stare into his eyes. Scunner twitched, but was helpless to do anything about it.

"You have a complaint, pup?" Slattern's smile was cold.  
"N-n-n-no….please don't-"

Slattern jerked his head to the side, causing Raiju to yelp in pain, "I specifically recall you complaining about lovely Otachi's kill, so it seems like you DO have a problem with it. Now, what shall we do about it?" His claw scraped against smooth, scale-less skin, "since you claim to be a kaiju, why don't you solve it yourself? If you don't like this meat, how about you hunt something more….appetizing…"

"You don't mean…" Scunner's eyes widened.

"Yes," Slattern smiled, "it's time to hunt jaegers, once again."

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED! (( sorry for the crappy chapter, life has been rough for me lately and I've had barely the time to write. Just wanted to introduce some the villains. Hopefully the next chapter will make more sense. TnT Again, sorry for the horribleness, and as always: read, review, enjoy. ))**_


	5. Jaeger Crankiness

"I demand justice,' Tacit Ronin declared as she waved the red slip at Marshal Pentecost's face, her electric eyes sizzling. "The school board is corrupt and needs to be purged!"

The marshal set down the paper and looked up at her with tired eyes, "you pushed a kid out a window. It's a good thing you dropped him into the bushes."

"I was aiming for the pavement."

"You're not fighting kaiju anymore, Ronin," he replied sternly. "These are human kids, they're less evil and far more breakable. You're supposed to protect them."

'I know," she replied, lowering her eyes, "it's my duty and I've never questioned it…until they started making fun of Coyote's disabilities."

Pentecost sighed, shoulders softening. "The board has let you off with a severe warning, thanks to my intervention, you can return to school on Monday. In the meantime, you need to work on interacting with people," he put meaningfully, 'you can't break the bones of everyone you meet."

"Yes, Marshal, I understand," she bowed politely, hiding her misgivings underneath her frosty hair.

"Dismissed."

'Thank you, Marshal," she replied respectfully before shuffling towards the door. She tried to open it, but for some reason it wouldn't budge. "I don't have time for this." Giving a push, she sent the door flying open, pushing Striker Eureka and Crimson Typhoon onto the cold cement floor.

Cherno and Gipsy were plastered against the opposite wall. "Uh…weren't dropping eaves, if you thinking that," the large Russian reddened in embarrassment.

"erm…yeah. We just wanted to make sure you weren't in trouble, or something," Striker rubbed his sore head from where he lay underneath Crimson. "Gipsy thought they were gonna' drag yah off to jail."

Ronin locked eyes with the other female jaeger, "what's jail?"

"Raleigh told me all about it," Gipsy piped up nervously, "it's a place where bad people go to make friends with other bad people and watch each other pick up soap. "

Ronin scowled, "I'm not in trouble, so you don't have to dance around me like four bucket-headed idiots. Now please excuse me, I need to escort Coyote to dinner," and with a twirl of her snowy hair, she retreated down the hall.

The four jaegers watched her go.

"You're right, Crimsy," Gipsy muttered, "she HAS been getting cranky all of a sudden."

"I think it's because of Coyote," the Asian jaeger finally sat up, "he's still recovering from the events of the first story, and I don't think school is making it any easier."

"Maybe if we cut off his legs and replaced them with robotic ones, he could stomp his bullies into submission," Gipsy mused as she helped up Striker. "I've never seen anyone make fun of the person stomping their face in."

"I…don't think that will fly with the Marshal," Crimson responded.  
"Nothing flies with the Marshal," Striker grunted, crossing his arms in an attempt to preserve the warmth from Gipsy's hand. "Don't do this, don't do that. You're stronger than a normal human so be super careful blah blah blah. I thought it'd be a lot different, yah know? I thought being with our pilots meant we were free, we could go anywhere, but nah, we had to go to Alaska. The land of snow and smelly moose."

"Hey!" Gipsy smacked him upside the head, "don't diss on the moose!"

"Anyway," Cherno tried to bring them back on topic, "Tacit Ronin getting more and more upset, fighting people more than me. Maybe…we can help her?"

"But how?" Gipsy frowned. "She only hangs out with Coyote. Maybe...maybe if her pilots were still alive, they could help her."

A silence fell on the group.

"The Marshal is trying to take her under his wing," Crimson defended.

"So? She's not his jaeger," Striker scoffed, "they will never have that connection, so he should just stop trying."

Cherno sighed at the dour mood which had settled over his friends, "depressing thoughts won't help. Come, let's find dinner. Maybe Mama and Papa let us sample their Vodka?"

Before anyone could respond, alarms suddenly began to go off.

"Teen jaegers, " Tendo's voice crackled over the loud speaker, "an alarm has been triggered on the outskirts of the city! It's time to suit up!"

"Oh no, not again," Gipsy bit her lip, "come on!"

The four jaegers raced to the locker room, where Herc and his crew were waiting to meet them.

"There's been another attack," he drawled, tapping a tablet with a map on it, "looks like the kaiju are on the hunt again. Now remember, you are the only ones strong and fasted enough to take them out, but that doesn't mean you need to do anything stupid, "he shifted his gaze, "right, Striker?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he slipped on some light black combat gear. "Just point us in the right direction, Old Man, and we'll take care of it for you."

Herc scowled at the name, "just make sure Cherno doesn't have to carry you back this time."

"Hey! That only happened once!" Striker shouted as he was dragged by Crimson out into the landing pad.

Darkness had fallen, the chopper's blades cutting into the night with a loud hiss. The air crackled with an oncoming storm, making the jaegers' cores pulse in anticipation as they were loaded up and carried off into the night, ready for battle.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, also much thanks for your patience :3 ALSO The Hunt Part 2 will be the next chapter, and will be from kaiju perspective, in case anyone was wondering. Also, also, yes the teen jaegers will be going off against the kaiju. I was thinking about putting the jaegers in special mecha-ish suits or something..idk...your input would be much appreciated on the matter. :)**

**And as always: Read, review, enjoy :D **


	6. The Hunt Part 2

"Sneaky…sneaking…sneaky…"

"Raiju, whispering "sneaky" isn't going to make you stealthier."

"Sorry, Scunner."

"Quiet, we're here," Otachi hissed, hunkering down behind the chain link fence with the other three kaiju.

Rising out of the fog like a dilapidated tombstone, the skeletal cement warehouse lay before them, ripe for the plunder.

Scunner pressed his face against the fence, feeling the cold metal against his scales as the gills on his neck fluttered in anticipation. "I smell no fleshy things here, you sure this is the right place?' His growl was aimed at Leatherback, who shrugged defensively.

"The tools are here, even if their users aren't," he huffed, slightly nervous under the bigger kaiju's gaze. Otachi put a slender hand on his shoulder, rolling her eyes.

"Leatherback may be an idiot, but his senses never lie. Come on," her tail flickered behind her as she scaled the fence. Leather back chose to break through it while Scunner merely jumped over it. Raiju's hoodie got caught climbing over, so they had to spend five cranky minutes trying to get his untangled.

Finally, they were at the warehouse, gravel crunching beneath their bare feet. Scunner tilted his head and frowned, while a fearful Raiju hid in his shadow. "It's…it's so big," he squeaked, "how are we gonna get in? The only windows are on the top floor!"

Leatherback looked at one of the windows, then looked at Otachi.

"Oh no you don't, "Otachi hissed at the cheeky grin on his face, "DON"T YOU DARE THINK OF THROWING ME UP THERE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She let out a surprised screech as Leatherback suddenly hefted her up and lobbed her into the air.

_SMACK!_

Like a pancake hitting the wall she slapped against the window. The other three kaiju cringed as she slowly slid down the glass. Finally her instincts kicked in and her claws grabbed the frame. Instantly, neon eyes swiveled around to affix Leatherback with a ferocious glare.

The male kaiju gave an innocent thumbs up, silently praying she wouldn't kill him after the hunt was through.

"H-h-hey guys, there's an open door over here," Raiju squeaked from where his head poked around the corner. Scunner smiled and went to join his brother while Leatherback quickly tip toed after him, feeling the heat of his partner's gaze melting into his back.

* * *

Glass crack as Otachi broke through the window, rolled gracefully onto the floor to find herself in a type of upstairs loft. Brushing hair behind her horns, she surveyed the dusty piles of paper and broken machinery around her. Below on the main floor, the other kaiju had walked into a jungle of rusting equipment and mysterious tarp-covered lumps.

"Do you feel it," the female kaiju hissed, eyes glowing brighter.

"Yessss," they replied, the hum vibrating their chests and tingling their tails.

"There is creator tech here," Scunner growled, "spread out."

Otachi crouched down and began digging through the pile of papers, squinting at the words in an effort to understand them. Suddenly, there was a tinge in her stomach area. "oorf," her fingers instinctively grabbed her mid riff.

"Did I throw you too hard?" A familiar voice full of unusual concern.

"You shouldn't of thrown me at all if you wished to survive this night unscathed," she didn't give him the honor of meeting her face to face. Instead, she kept her back turned. "-And I'm fine. Perfectly…erf…fine…."

" 'Tachi," he dared to draw closer, "something wrong with your stomach? "

"I'll make sure something is wrong with yours if you don't leave," she huffed, trying to continue her work.

"Hey," Raiju's shout interrupted any more threats she would of hissed out. Down below, the small kaiju was struggled with a tarp. Sighing, Scunner reached over him and pulled it away, revealing a glass tank full of dank yellow liquid. In the middle floated a hunk of organic material that seemed to throb at their presence.

"We found it," Otachi allowed herself a coy smile, "our first part. Soon we can begin to build Mother and Slattern will finally be off our backs.

Suddenly there was a crash of glass and shuffling. Scunner instinctively pulled Raiju behind his back as he tilted his face to the air. "I smell jaegers…"

The kaiju immediately tensed as the oily scent of their prey filled their nostrils. It looked like it was going to be an eventful hunt, after all….

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! ((sorry for taking so long for this chapter D: I am doing summer classes and also working so I rarely have any free time. Anywho, a little tidbit of info, Hu!kaiju can sustain themselves on regular meats, but its jaeger essence that really keeps them going. Also thanks to DV, Aussie Kays, blood skull, and Catmaz for reviewing the last chapter :D And as always: Read, review, enjoy :D ))**


	7. WAREHOUSE RUMBLE

**CRSSHHHH  
**

"Oops," Cherno winced as his heavy boot cracked into a loose pane on the floor. He gave an apologetic shrug as his friends turned back to look at him in exasperation.

"Shhh, we're supposed to be sneaking," Gipsy put a gloved finger to her lips. "There's kaiju here, we gotta be stealthy!"

"If we needed to be stealthy, we shouldn't of brought Cherno," Striker snickered softly, catching a death glare from the Russian Jaeger.

On point, Crimson rolled his eyes. It seemed like he was the only one taking this mission seriously, his team members just didn't understand the danger they were in. Sure, they've been investigating disturbances ever since Tendo picked up video footage of the ku!kaijus' existence, but they've never actually been fast enough to catch them, or even engage in combat.

Really the only thing they knew about them were that they were now human sized and conducting raids on the old science district that built right before the kaiju war, now abandoned after the closure of the breach. It was now the jaegers' job to investigate, especially since reports of people missing in the area. They had to be stopped.

The Chinese jaeger dropped to his knees, placing his head against the floor as his mechanical third arm slipped from his jacket to tell the other jaegers to stop. He closed his eyes, listening. "It sounds like someone's moving around down in the main portion of the warehouse. No doubt it's the kaiju we're looking for."

Striker looked across the attic work shop they had climbed into, nodding at the door on the other side. "Looks like the only way down, let's move before Cherno makes any more noise."

"_**Zatknis," **_Cherno hissed back as loudly as he dared. Gipsy giggled.

Crimson tensed up. They had to move quietly. That mean it was time for…SECRET AGENT MODE!

"Doo doo dodo doo doo dodo," he hummed as he began tip-toeing across the make shift floorboards, just like in the movies he and his brothers watched.

"Uh, what's Crimsy doing?" Gipsy cocked her head in confusion.

"I'm a secret agent, don't judge me!" He whispered angrily as he dropped into a ninja roll, easily closing the gap between him and the door. He stood up, putting his hands on his hips victoriously. "HA!"

That's when the floor gave way underneath him and sent him screaming into open air.

* * *

Down on the warehouse floor, Raiju was getting pretty nervous. He heard about the humanized jaegers, but he hadn't fought them yet. This was his first real hunt, and he was having flashbacks of cold steel slicing through his head. Hopefully he'd survive this fight, unlike the last one.

"Deep breath," Scunner growled, his back to Raiju's as he surveyed the darkness with piercing eyes. I'll kill them before they even get to you," his tail tapped his younger brother's leg reassuring.

Raiju looked up at him, "Yeah, but where are they?"

That's when the ceiling exploded in a haze of wood and rotten drywall.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A flailing form plummeted down, hitting Scunner square in the chest. The kaiju took a step back ,instinctively grabbing whatever collided with him.

Crimson opened his eyes blearily, staring innocently up at Scunner as he patted his muscular chest, "my hero!"

"JAEGER," He roared, the telltale scent of oil and burnt steel stabbing into his nostrils. His eyes glowed furiously as he tossed Crimson away from him.

The jaeger landed in a roll, skidding to a stop against some grates. Scunner was already on the move. He wasn't on fast on land as he was in water but he still had an agility uncommon to his built frame. Wood cracked as he pushed off a box of rotting supplies, leaping towards Crimson, claws outstretched.

Crimson moved his head just in type. He yelped in surprise as Scunner's fist crashed into the wood next to his head, splinters flying into his cheek. Cartwheeling to the side, he landed in a standing position, fists raised to meet Scunner. Too bad he didn't see Raiju speeding up behind him.

"EEP," Raiju squeaked as a boot smacked into his face, sending him tripping over his own tail.

"OY YOU BLOODY WANKERS I WILL SMASH YOU I SWEAR ON ME MUM!" Striker shook his fist on the adjacent stairway, now one shoe short of a pair. Gipsy and Cherno jumped over the railing beside him, landing on the ground to sprint towards Crimson.

"I admit," Gipsy huffed, "I thought the humanized kaiju would look more…human!"

"Doesn't matter," Cherno replied, "WE PUNCH THEM ANYWAY!"

The Russian jaeger let out a spine shattering battlecry as he brought his fist swinging up towards Scunner. The large kaiju absorbed the hit, stepping back and losing focus on Crimson. Gipsy went for Raiju, picking up Striker's shoe and pelting him with it again.

"Leatherback, grab the artifact, I'll save Scunner's hide," Otachi laughed gleefully as she leapt down from the loft, bouncing from junk pile to junk pile with cat like grace.

"WHAT. . . TELL ME!" Gipsy yelled as squatted on top of Raiju, pelting him with blows. She squeaked in fright as Scunner suddenly grabbed the back of her jacket and hurled her into the case containing the kaiju sample.

"That answer your question?" He laughed as her face cracked into the glass. She slumped down into a heap, dazed.

"GIPSY!" Cherno and Striker yelled in unison, suddenly charging the kaiju in a twin fury of vengeance.

"You…smell familiar…" Scunner sniffed before grabbing Striker and throwing him over the crate, "you're mine!"

"This isn't good, I think we're rusty, " Crimson exclaimed as he ran over to Gipsy. Cherno was about to make for Striker, but a lumbering mass caught his eye. His breath hitched in his throat as his core seemed to freeze. Images flashed before him, of blood of the snow, of cracked ice and the scream of Crimson as his bones were slowly broken, of frigid waters as Cherno slowly drowned.

He made a split second decision. Grabbing the jackets of both Gipsy and Crimson, he pulled them away from the case, darting behind a crate and hunkering beneath it. He crouched low, shoving a protesting Crimson and Gipsy into his chest. "Shhhh….."

Leatherback approached the artifact, and looked around, confused. "Uhhh, weren't there supposed to be jaegers here, Coward?" He asked the curled up form of Raiju whimpering on the floor.

The small kaiju nodded his head as he picked himself up. 'I think they ran away."

"I'm surprised you didn't, either," he scowled. "Why didn't you fight them? What type of kaiju are you, anyway?"

Raiju winced, remember how his skin split and skull shattered beneath the chain sword. 'I think…I think I smelled Gipsy Danger…I didn't want to fight her."

Leatherback's fist hit him like a brick wall, sending him back to the ground. "You're pathetic. Now help me get the artifact out of here while the jaegers are distracted."

"Cherno, they're taking the thing away," Crimson whispered into the Russian's soft fur lined jacket. "We need to stop them."

The Russian was silent, unmoving.

'Cherno, let me go, we need to stop them," he pleaded. "What are you doing?! "

A slender hand reached up to his face as Gipsy tugged his hat so he would look at her. Golden eyes met frigid blue ones. "Cherno…are…are you afraid?" Her voice was quiet, seeking.

His eyes wavered slightly, a mental struggled raging in his head. Finally, he let go of them. "Crimson, stay here. I go fight them. "

"Bu-"

"You too, Gipsy," he commanded, a dark tone in his voice. "If two comrades move, I will be very mad."

Before anyone could reply, he leapt over the crates, jacket flying behind him….

…only to be greeted by an empty space. The kaiju were already gone.

"Bloody….wankers…." From around the corner limped Striker, bruised and bloodied.

"Striker," Crimson exclaimed as he totally disobeyed Cherno's orders. "Where are the kaiju? Are you alright? Did you win?"

A tired breath escaped his lips as he leaned on his friends shoulders. "Well…I would of won if Otachi wouldn't of snuck her nose into the fight…"

'Otachi…" Gipsy poked her head out from behind Cherno. "So she's returned?"

"Yeah, and the one I was fight had to be Scunner," he hissed, spitting blood from his mouth. "Dirty fighters, both of them. But they left in a hurry though, must of stopped them from getting what they were looking for, right?"

Crimson and Gipsy were silent, casting furtive glances at Cherno. The Russian jaeger stared past Striker at the wall. "Nyet…they…got away…."

"WHAT?" Striker almost fell over.

"We can talk about it when we get home," Gipsy stepped between them. "Striker is really banged up, and well…." Her shoulders sagged, "we lost….we got beat….let's just go…"

An agreement was made without words, the chopper called. As the beat of its rotors could be heard outside, the jaegers moved towards the door.

Before going outside, Gipsy grabbed Cherno's sleeve. 'Are you okay? You….you hid back there…you never hide. Never. "

He looked down at her, face expressionless. "_Tovarich…._I am fine. I am strong. It will never happen again," his fingers closed around hers. "I will kill Otachi for Crimson."

She could only stare in confusion as they walked out to the chopper.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! Now to incorporate more of Cherno's nightmares into the story. Poor guy, he just doesn't want Crimson to die. Again. Also, I tried to make this one a bit longer to make up for the other chapters :) Also Also I hope to get back on schedule foa new chapter once a week . Also thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter! :D and as always: Read, review, enjoy ;) **


	8. Commercial Break: a Word from Jerim

**Hello, Jerim here. Sorry, no chapter this week. Lately I have been getting a lot of rude messages about this fanfic, saying it's horrible, unfunny, boring, ect. and that I should just stop writing. I know I'm not the best writing, and I know the fic could be a lot better, so I need your opinions.**

**A few people (I won't name names) have been very loud about their opinions, now I want to hear yours. Should I continue this? Is there anything I can do to improve? Please, if this story is going to continue I need your support and input. Thank you. **


	9. Gym Class Heroes

Hey,** Jerim here. And before we begin I just want to say thank you. thank you DV, AwesomeCrafter, Wunderwaffle, Bloodskull, some1new, Winged Pyro, Xahraxs, Angie Thompson, Catmaz, ThatAwkwardCrazyAuthor, Micheal Cross, MaverickSawyer, Elhini Prime, and Prophet 21. You guys were right. The haters shouldn't get me down. I should write for myself, and write what I want to write as long as it makes me happy. Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. You made me see a view I haven't seen before, and I feel better because of it. This chapter is specially dedicated to all of you, I had alot of fun writing it. :) Enjoy.**

* * *

"Yeah, I mean she talks to me but it's always in a group. It's like I'm her least favorite jaeger."

"Hm, I wonder why?"

"Shut it, Crimsy, you don't need to play nice when you're super attractive like me.**" **

** "**-And yet you still haven't been able to improve your friendship with her. Seriously, maybe you should tell her…you know…about that night we got capsized. "

"What? No!" Striker's face turned beet red as he gripped his friend's shoulders. He cast a furtive look across the gym where Gipsy stood in a faded tank top and basketball shorts, attempting to copy the stretching activities of the other girls. He didn't understand the looks they gave her out of the corner of their eyes, the distance they purposefully maintained from her, or why they quietly snickered whenever she messed up and fell over. If only they knew the power she had, the way she threw a punch and handled a sword. If only they listened to her laugh, watched the way her eyes sparkled because maybe then they'd understand the scars on her shoulders; realize that her bravery was purely innocent and it might have gotten her killed but it saved the world in the process. She was so beautiful, and they couldn't even see it.

"Why not? You gotta let go of the Chuck in you and embrace the Herc," Crimson snapped him back to reality. "You guys haven't talked since last night! Go over there and say hi!"

Striker scratched at the bandage on his face, suddenly feeling very sore from his run in with Scunner the night before. He still didn't think it was fair that he was the only one who took a beating during the failed mission. "We're in the same gym class together, she can say hello whenever she wants. No way I'm making the first move, " he huffed, crossing his arms.

"I would argue with you, but it looks like she's actually coming over," Crimson waved as Striker turned to stare at Gipsy crossing the floor towards them. She didn't walk like the other girls; it was more cowboy swagger then delicate grace.

"Hey, you guys seen Cherno?" She scrunched her face in worry.

'Yeah, he got excused for boxing try outs," Crimson replied. "I just hope he doesn't murder someone into a wall…."

"Yeah, about that…" Gipsy nervously played with a tuft of hair, glancing at Striker. "He's been acting kinda weird lately."

"Whaddya mean?" The Aussie scoffed, crossing his arms.

The female jaeger turned her attention on Crimson. "Erm…should we tell him?'

"I don't know, I don't want to make Cherno upset."

"Yeah, but I'm kinda worried!"

"Just spit it out already," Striker interrupted, irritated that everyone was in the loop but him. "Something happened last night. Tell me."

Crimson drew in a breath. "We failed the mission…"

"Yeah?"

"…because of Cherno."

Striker was so surprised he dropped the basketball he was holding. "A'ight you better spill everything."

And they did. Striker was silent for the majority of it, his scowl deepening as they went on. Cherno NEVER hid from a fight, NEVER. But the way Crimson and Gipsy were talking, it sounded like he was actually afraid of fighting the kaiju, afraid of Crimson fighting them. "So what, the big guy is a scaredy pants all of a sudden? Maybe becoming human has made him soft," he scoffed in disbelief.

"We should talk to him, " Crimson advised, "make sure he's okay."

At that moment, the bell rang, signifying the end of class and beginning of lunch break. The kids began to file into the locker rooms to change.

"Oh, guess I gotta go. See you at lunch!" Gipsy waved happily as she turned around, slamming into a firm chest with a surprised squeak.

Rhoades stumbled back, "ah, I'm sorry!"

"Rhodi!" Crimson and Gipsy greeted him simultaneously, while Striker silently wished for the ability to mentally set him on fire.

"Pardon me for interrupting, "he stammered as he held out a comic book, "but I came to return this to you, Louisa."

"Oh! You finished Jaeger Force 1 already?" Gipsy took it from him, beaming, "did you like it?"

"Yes, it was quite entertaining," he smiled softly down at her. "I might ask to borrow the rest, if that's okay."

"Sure," she gushed, much to the amusement of Crimson and horror of Striker.

"Oh, and another thing…erm…we have a chemistry test tomorrow, so maybe after school I could escort you to the library and we could study together?"

"ooo, I've never been to a library before! I'd love to go-"

"No can do," Striker suddenly interrupted, looping his hand through Gipsy's arm. "She's..er...she's already busy, so you can just shove off!"

"No I'm not!" Gipsy pulled away from him grumpily, "stop being a jerk, Striker Eureka!"

"Striker Eureka?" Rhoades narrowed in on the Aussie, confusion in his eyes.

"Woops look at the time we better roll out come on guys bye Rhoadi see you later okay bye," Crimson grabbed his friends' arms, hurriedly dragging them out of the gym and into the surging crowd of hungry high school-ers.

"What's your problem?!" Gipsy protested over the din.

"MY problem?! You're the one spilling our secret identities all over the place, miss loose lips!"

"Loose lips?! Nu-uh, they're as tight as Crimson's butt!"

"Whoah now don't bring me into this!" Crimson stuttered as he pulled them along.

Rhoades leaned against the gym doorway, watching them leave. Idly, he uncurled his hand, studying the smoothness of his skin. There would be no fingerprints left in his passing.

"Ah, Louisa," he could still feel the warmth of her fingertips on his skin as she took the comic, "you don't deserve what's going to happen to you.'

* * *

With a rustle of papers, Marshal Pentecost spread the papers across his desk. "Alright, what exactly am I looking at?"

"This maps relates to all recorded humanoid kaiju sightings," Tendo explained through a mouthful of bagel, crumbs spilling onto the desk. "Most of them are on the outskirts of town around storage places and the old science district."

"Our best option would be to lock those sights down and confiscate all objects of interest, but for some reason the local government isn't willing to work with us," he muttered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Tendo took a sip of his coffee. "They won't even let us send our own security in to investigate."

"That's why we have the jaegers, Mr. Choi. Technically, they don't qualify under any governmental law, so if we send them in under the radar to investigate and stop the kaiju from collecting whatever they're collecting, we might have a chance of stopping them. "

"Speaking of which…." Tendo flicked his head back at the open door, where the cacophony of the hanger was leaking through. "Geizler and Gottlieb are about to start their own set of lessons with them. "

* * *

The jaegers: Gipsy Danger, Cherno Alpha, Striker Eureka, Coyote Tango, Tacit Ronin, and Crimson Typhoon sat clustered together on the hanger floor amidst a nest of blankets, pillows and notebooks.

Newt and Herman stood before them; one prim and crisp, the other looking like he just rolled out of bed. With a tapping of a cane against the portable chalkboard, the lesson began.

"Quiet children! Children! Quiet please!" Hermann had to crash his cane against the board a few more times to get everyone's attention. "The Marshal has assigned us the task of lecturing you for the next year of the important topic of jaeger dynamics and organic-synthetic cranial development!"

"Uh?"

"What?"

"Did science man say something?"

"Speak English, yah wanker!"

"Striker!"

"Ow, Gipsy, that hurt!"

Newt patted him on the back, trying to hold back his snicker. "What the sourpuss is trying to say is that the Marshal has enrolled you in a very special class," he fluttered his fingers for effect. "Like, mad science and brain stuff! We're gonna try and teach you more about your bodies and all the awesome kaiju tech embedded in them," he grabbed his arms. "It's gonna be great! We're gonna hook you up to stuff and do science and maybe through you we can learn more about the hu!kaiju!"

"Wait…that sounds like you want to experiment on us," Ronin narrowed her eyes, scowling.

"Experiments? No," Hermann tried to correct her, "more like…tests to see your capabilities. "

"Like what the OJRP tried to do to us," she crossed her arms. Beside her Coyote shuddered and grabbed the back of Crimson's shirt anxiously. The Asian jaeger turned slightly and held his arm protectively.

"No no no no," Newt exclaimed frantically. "It won't be anything like those cultists! Trust me! The Marshal just wants us to figure out just how your brain works…but without dissection or anything cruel like that…I mean…erm…."

"What tests you want to run?" Cherno hunched his shoulders suspiciously.

"Well, for starters," Hermann motioned at the metal behemoth standing in front of them. Cherno Alpha stood in its dock, clean of all the organic gunk wired into it, and as silent as a ghost.

"We're going to see what happens when we reunite you with your jaeger bodies."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	10. Morning sickness and Soda Bottles

Grey light filtered in through dirt smeared panes, illuminating the nest of ragged blankets and old newspapers piled on the rough wooden floor. Soft snores emanated from beneath the covers, the only movement the slight twitch of a mean-looking tail as it explored the room while its owner was asleep.

Because for kaiju, midday meant midnight and by now all members of the pack were nestled in their respective dens around the mansion, peacefully slumbering away. All of them were in dreamland by now, all except one.

Raiju huffed out a breath, nostrils quivering as he tried to snuggle father under the blankets and into the comforting warmth of his older brother. He should have been fast asleep by now, Scunner's rough scales pressing against his cheek, but something was wrong.

Whining, he rubbed his legs together. "Gotta go potty!"

Scunner snorted sleepily as Raiju exploded from the blankets, clambering over him to faceplant on the floor. Recovering, he slithered quietly over the cold floorboards, stopping by the door.

Quietly, he grabbed the ragged hoody that Scunner had found and patched up for him to wear. The dark fabric was faded and smeared with dirt, but he liked to wear it anyway. It helped hide his human features from the other kaiju, and that way he didn't get beat up as much.

The hallway was deathly still as he tip toed down it. The potty was at the end of the hall, nothing but a make shift hole punched through the floor, cascading into darkness. He would go in there, save for the risk of being cornered by one of his fellow kaiju. Instead, he chose to go outside.

* * *

The waves crashed against the rocky beach, the smell of saltwater thick in the air. Grey clouds choked out the sky as Raiju carefully make his way down the stone steps to the beach.

Suddenly, he paused, heart skipping a beat when he recognized a figure emerging from the white foamed surf. Chest tight, he tried to back pedal, giving a frightened squeak when he tripped over his tail and banged the back of his head against a boulder.

Otachi shook the water from her neon aqua hair, scowling as seaweed caught on her horns and flopped into her face. Tossing it away in disgust, she sauntered onto the beach, tail swishing coyly behind her.

Bare feet crunched on cold pebbles. Raiju opened his eyes to stare fearfully into the face of the kaiju vixen. Instinctively he dipped his head, tail curling between his legs in a sign of submission.

"Why aren't you asleep, pup, "she quipped irritably.

"S-s-s-sorry but…but I had to…go…" he groveled, before peeping up at her with big golden eyes filled with a million questions.

Sighing, she crouched down in front of him, still assuming dominance in the conversation as was according to kaiju code. "If you're wondering, I come out here all the time. It's the one part of the day where I can escape from sniveling whelps like you," she hissed, forcing him to re-glue his eyes to the ground. "Midday swims…clear my mind. " She looked back up at the mansion, tilting her head. "Maybe if you were actually good at being a kaiju, you would understand sometimes we need to allow ourselves to focus-" Her glowing irises suddenly widened as pain lanced through her belly. A surprised groan escaped from her mouth as she keeled over and threw up all over Raiju's feet.

"EEEEWWWWWW!" Raiju scuttled away in horror. He had never seen anyone vomit before, and to him it looked like Otachi had emptied all her organs out onto the beach.

"It's nothing! It's nothing!" Waving him away, she tried to roll over, hissing in anger as she looked for the entire world like a drunken cat trying to stand.

His fear ebbed slightly at her plight. He inched forward cautiously, voice merely a whisper. "Otachi…are you okay?'

Her struggles ceased as she glared at him, breathing heavily. Dark circles lay beneath her eyes. She had never looked this tired before, making his eyebrows raise in surprise. "I guess I have to tell **someone**, don't I?" She muttered in resignation before her tail lashed out and wrapped out Raiju's throat. "But if you tell anyone," she hissed, "ANYONE about this, I will tell Slattern that you're the one chewing on all his clothes!"

"You wouldn't," he gasped in terror, sweat beading on his face.

'Oh, don't underestimate me, pup," she replied back.

"Okay, okay, I promise," he coughed as she let go of him, allowing him to sink to the ground.

"Good, then we can begin," she sat down next to him, shoulders hunched in apprehension. "What do you want to know?"

"Erm…so all that stuff that came out your mouth? Does that happen a lot?"

She huffed, a tuft of hair blowing off her face. "…yes, it's been happening for the past week."

"I d-d-don't think that's good…I mean, it looked like it hurt."

"Aren't you the observant one, pup." She replied sarcastically.

"Maybe Oni Baba could look at you?"

'And uncover my weakness so someone else can take my place in the pack? I am not that foolish. I can get through this myself."

"Are you sure? I m-m-mean, do you even know what's wrong?'

She was silent for a moment, looking down at her stomach with an almost wistful longing. "I…have my suspicions…"

Raiju had never seen her look that way before. For a second, her icy exterior had melted. Her cunning and biting tongue couldn't hide the emotion that swam in her eyes for that brief second. He almost smiled, because for that brief moment he felt like he had someone who could understand him.

"You know what?" His eyes suddenly brightened up. "I think I have something that might help your tummy!" He jumped up, accidentally smacking Otachi in the face with his tail. "OOPS SORRY PLEASE DON"T KILL ME!" He exclaimed as he bounced away, "just follow me!"

Muttering under her breath, Otachi took chase, ending up behind a rather large boulder. "What are you doing?" She scoffed at the smaller kaiju scrabbling around in the dirt.

"Hold on, I almost got it." He smiled shyly as he unearthed a strange plastic bottle with bubbles inside. Human speak was scrawled across it in unintelligible scribbles. Otachi instinctively went on alert. "Raiju, this is a human artifact. This isn't allowed."

"Please, I know I don't deserve it but please put some faith in me for once," he pleaded, motioning for her to sit down next to him. She complied, watching wearily as he fumbling with the white plastic cap on top.

The thing hissed as it was opened, causing both kaiju to jump.

"Is it alive?! Are you opening its face?!" Otachi barred her teeth.

"N-no I don't think it's alive. I mean, I saw some humans doing the same thing to one of its kin, then they drank its innards. It looked like they liked it so I decided to steal one for myself. "

"Copying their customs? Pathetic." She scowled. "You go first."

Carefully, he tipped the now opened bottle towards his mouth, awkwardly lapping at the contents pouring onto his face. Cold bubbles hit his tongue, causing him to squeak and drop the bottle onto his lap. "Otachi, it sings on your mouth!"

"Give that to me," she snatched the bottle, splashing it onto her face. Her eyes widened in surprise as her mouth cracked open. "It's like drinking screaming souls! Wonderful!"

Back and forth they went, until the bottle was empty and their stomachs were full of carbonated beverage. They lay against the pebbles, staring up at the sky sharing nothing but contented sighs between them.

Finally, the female kaiju broke the silence. "I…feel better now. "

"Please don't tell Slattern about my stache."

"…for now, I won't. You have actually proven helpful for once, so I feel like I owe you my silence." She turned towards him. "Though I expect you to bring back more artifacts for us to share in the future."

He felt like he didn't really have a choice." Oh okay. I will! You can count on me!"

"And… in return, I will tell Leatherback to take it easy on you."

Raiju's face suddenly brightened up. "R-r-really?"

"Really, pup."

He bit his lip. "So…d-d-does this make us secret friends now?'

This caused her to laugh, and suddenly he realized why Leatherback was so in love with her.

"Yes, pup, we're secret friends now."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! ((thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! It really humbles me to see how much support this fic is getting, and drives me to improve it every chance I get. Also, I plan to update every late friday early saturday, so stay tuned. I wanted this chapter to focus a little bit more on the kaiju and how they are nocturnal and basically take naps like giant toddlers :P SO, until next time: Read, review, enjoy :D ))**


	11. Buying Love

"Mr. Kaidenovsky, do you know why I'm making you stay after class today?"

"Nyet."

An exasperated breath escaped Mr. Burkley's lips as he ran a hand over his smooth head. "It's about the paper you were supposed to write; giving a political commentary on the background of the Wall and what our leaders can do to improve it."

"Dah," he nodded, fidgeting in his plastic seat slightly, "I turned it in on time, I promise."

"That's not the problem," he frowned slightly, opening the drawer to his desk and taking out said paper, slapping it in front of the jaeger. Cherno didn't think the giant red F on it had to be so large.

The teacher leaned forward slightly. "This is nothing but scrambled thoughts and horrible writing. First, you start off by saying that the wall is "completely stupid and nothing but a wall of_ der'mo _(which I'll have you know I looked up online and you are NOT allowed to put that word in your essay, mister.) then for three whole pages its nothing but grammatically incorrect tales about how the Cherno Alpha jaeger team is the best team to ever live and how "Papa" Kaidanovsky can bench press a bear, which I don't quite believe."

Cherno narrowed his eyes, "You think Papa cannot bench press bear?!"

"That's not the point! And for your closing page, there's nothing on it except for this PICTURE," he exclaimed, shoving the paper into Cherno's face.

A smile broke out on the Russian's face as he recognized the crayon scribbles. "Dah, comrade Gipsy helped me with it. That's Cherno Alpha fighting evil Otachi and Leatherback. Too epic to put into words, so we drew it for you," he beamed innocently.

Mr. Burkley adjusted his glasses, trying to calm down. "You don't seem to understand. Now I know English isn't your first language but there is no excuse for this! You are failing writing class. Hell, it's like you don't even know what we're talking about half the time! What school did you go to before this one?!"

Cherno's smile disappeared as he looked him in the eye. "Didn't go to school. This my first year."

"Vitaly Kaidanovsky, if you keep telling these lies and dodging my questions I will have you sent to the principal. Now get out of my class, there's nothing more I can do for you," the aging man scowled, pointing to the door.

"You can keep picture, drew it just for you," he stated proudly before grabbing his backpack and heading out.

His friends were waiting for him outside the door, three pairs of concerned eyes silently waiting for the teacher's verdict.

"He didn't like the paper, so I fail," he shrugged sadly.

Striker let out an angry groan while Gipsy put her hands on her hips. "Why not?! I thought for sure the picture would get you extra points!"

"Nyet," he replied, patting her on the back. "We tried, _tovarich. _Just hope Mama and Papa aren't mad."

"Well, you tried," Crimson defended. "Besides, Mr. Berkley is evil. I'm pretty sure he's a kaiju in disguise!"

"Who cares, it's just one paper," Striker scoffed, "we can talk about it later, right now we're supposed to meet up with Coyote and "Miss Cold-Hearted Warrior" for our open."

"Oh yeah," Gipsy tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Break is almost over and our open is about to start. Where is Coyote and Ronin, anyway?"

Just then, a wailing was heard reverberating down the hall. Crimson barely had time to dodge the teary-eyed football player that ran past him, dragging his sobbing self into the nearest bathroom.

A concerned expression flashed across Gipsy's face. "Uh…what was that about?"

"Speak of the devil, looks like Tacit Ronin turned down another one," Striker threw his head back and emitted a joyful laugh. "Did you guys see his face? Wanker got crushed! Hahaha!"

"The Fall Formal dance is next week, and so far seven guys have tried to ask her out," Crimson stated as he swung his head around to confront two familiar figures making their way towards them. "I think the human term for you is "Heart Breaker", Ronin."

"I can't be breaking their hearts," she replied as she pushed Coyote's wheelchair into the circle. "They still appear to be breathing."

"Ih-ih-it's a figure of speech," Coyote corrected her gently, clutching his books to his chest. His hair had regrown since his kidnapping; the nodes drilled into his head had been surgically removed though their scars could still be seen through his golden-brown locks. His skin was also less pale and his eyes were brighter, thanks to the best doctors in Anchorage. "Besides, m-m-maybe you should say yes to one of them, most of them seemed pretty nice and you should have some fun. You don't have to be st-st-stuck with me all the time."

"Protecting you is my choice," she replied, fingers playing with his hair. "Besides, who else is going to look after you?"

"Um…m-m-my friends?" He smiled shyly, motioning towards Gipsy, Cherno and Striker.

Ronin narrowed her eyes. "Like how they protected you last time? " Her sarcasm bit into the air, causing him to cringe. "I've seen how they fight. If they couldn't save you from me, then they can't save you from anything else. I bet they don't even know half the stuff those scientists did to you!"

"Uh, maybe we should let you guys have this conversation in private?" Crimson fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of what to do as he and the other jaegers looked on.

"Th-they don't need to know how bad it was! B-Besides, I thought we weren't gonna' talk about it in front of them," he whimpered, never liking conflict. "Im s-sorry, guys…"

"Don't apologize to them," Ronin snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't even know why you wanted to meet up with them. We can go by ourselves. I can handle anything that might threaten you!"

"Roni', these are my friends! I want them to come with us," he pleaded. "I'm fine, really. I'm not as helpless as you think I am!"

Fire flashed across her eyes. "What, are you dismissing me?"

He tried to backpedal, "n-n-no, I just mean that you don't have to do everything alone! You're not the only one who cares about me-"

"You **are **dismissing me," she replied quietly. "You think these…these _amateurs _can save you from what's out there? Well fine. I will comply with your wishes, "she scowled. "Just don't find any trouble, because heaven knows no one will be able to help you." And with a flip of her hair, she stormed off.

The jaegers watched her leave, the mood suddenly killed.

"Wow, what's her problem?" Striker crossed his arms.

"She DOES know we've been with you longer than she has, right? " Crimson looked at Coyote.

"Y-yeah, please don't be mad at her. Roni's been going through a lot, and I don't think she's adjusting well," Coyote softly replied. "I m-m-mean, the OJRP resurrected her to do their dirty work, she was raised differently than we were. Over th-there is was dog eat dog, jaeger kill jaeger. Also, Romeo Blue and Nova Hyperion are on the other side of the globe so she has no friends here. Well…b-b-besides me…"

"That doesn't give her any excuse to be a jerk, "Gipsy huffed. "Seriously, she's just getting crankier and crankier."

"She doesn't trust us, she doesn't trust the Marshal," Crimson observed. "Maybe if we were the ones to make the first move, she'd open up a little more?"

"Coyote comrade, why did you want to meet us with us?"

Coyote dipped his head, "The marshal gave Roni's and I to go to the store and pick up some food for a special dinner. We never really go on adventures like that so I thought you guys would like to go too?"

Cherno frowned thoughtfully, looking back at Crimson. "Mama Papa give me allowance…maybe…maybe we get gift for mean girl. Don't know if that will work, am used to giving people punches instead of presents."

"No, no, that might work," Gipsy grabbed his arm. "I mean, if we show we're willing to be her friend, maybe she won't feel like she has to be weary of everything and everyone all the time."

"OR she'll smash the gift in our faces and hate us even more," Striker rolled his eyes. "Seriously, it's a stupid idea. If she wants to have an attitude, let her. No one cares. "

"Let's try the idea anyway," Crimson decided. "Come on, team. Let's go!"

With excited cheers, the jaegers headed down the hall, unaware that someone was watching them…

**TOBECONTINUED**


	12. New Tests and Old Faces

**ALRIGHT first off, sorry I took so long on this chapter D: I've suuuper busy with life and surgery and school, but I finally was able to write the next chapter. I feel kinda rusty, and Im sorry if this isn't up to the usual quality. ): Anyway, thank you to all who've been patient with me, and SUPER SPECIAL thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. Anywho, and as always: read, review, enjoy :)**

* * *

The jaegers got home late, their arms laden with groceries. The welcome party wasn't as warm as they had expected, as they were ushered into the dome by a cold-faced security team the second they showed up at the front gate.

"Coyote and Tacit had permission to visit the store. You were instructed to go home on the bus," the leather chair creaked as Marshal Pentecost leaned forward at his desk. The jaegers before him cringed beneath his icy gaze, much to his hidden amusement. It was still hard to believe that the teenagers quailing before him used to be giant metal death machines.

"We d-didn't think you'd mind, I mean, you sent us to the store before, sir." Crimson piped up. The Marshal noted that he was often used as the voice of the group, especially when it came to talking them out of trouble.

"I wouldn't have minded if you checked in with someone first, specifically Tendo or one of your pilots. That was your responsibility, and you failed. No one knew where you were."

"But….we thought Ronin would tell you," Crimson cringed back into Gipsy, who had her eyes bashfully glued to the floor.

"I will deal with Tacit Ronin later. As of right now, your free time privileges are revoked for two weeks. "

"BUT WHY?!" Striker broke his silence, pushing aside Crimson to confront Pentecost. "We were only gone for an hour! It's not a big deal!"

"It is when you forgot that you aren't normal children. You are _jaegers _and when you disappear for an hour the entire shatterdome goes on alert. This is for your own safety, and I expect you to abide by the rules made by someone far more experienced than **you," **Pentecost growled, sending Striker's anger flying off his face. "Now, two weeks revoked privileges. For all of you."

"Awww, what's that supposed to mean?" Gipsy threw up her hands beseechingly.

"It means we're grounded," Striker grumbled in reply. "Trust me, Herc does it to me all the time."

"But…never been grounded before, " Cherno whispered in horror, images of disappointed parents flashing before his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the hatch door. It swung open, revealing Raleigh leaning against the doorframe. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm here for Gipsy."

Sighing, Pentecost stood up. "I guess it's time, then. Jaegers dismissed. Gipsy, suit up."

"Wh-what?' Her golden eyes widened in confusion. "What's going on?'

"Geizler and Gottlieb have constructed a new lesson for you jaegers," he replied. "We're going to try reconnecting you with your original bodies. Gipsy Danger, you're first up."

* * *

"Howsit' feel?"

"It feels a bit…clunky." Gipsy waddled down the catwalk, unaccustomed to the heavy boots and rough fabric of the drive suit. "I feel like a robot again." She eyed Raleigh, silently envying his ability to strut in the heavy outfit. He made it look so natural, like it didn't weight anything at all.

"You'll get used to it, like a second skin, " he replied, smiling softly.

"Go Gipsy! Looking good!"

"You can do it, _tovarich!" _

"Don't embarrass yourself too much, bucket head!" Gipsy turned around to wave nervously at her three friends, who stood on the balcony connected to the control tower, cheering her on. Just the thought of messing up in front of everyone was making her sweat. She tried to take deep breaths as she entered the conn pod behind her adopted big brother.

* * *

"Are you alright?' A crewman gave her a worried expression as she helped her get strapped in. "You look kinda pale."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She tried her best to smile in front of the Gipsy Danger crew; men and women who supported her and her pilots for years, yet she never met in person until now. She wondered if any of them were disappointed in her human form…

"Take a breath, Gip'. It'll be alright." Raleigh spoke soothingly to her, already done hooking up. "All we're doing is testing if you can drift. Also, your old body hasn't been working properly after you were created, and the scientists want to see if you can find out why."

"So…basically…I'm drifting with myself?"

"That's one way to put it,' Tendo's cheerful voice crackled into her ear. "None of the drift equipment has been working in the jaegers. The pilots can't connect with each other, like there's a wall…or something's missing."

Something pinged in the back of Gipsy's head. _Me, I'm what's missing…they want to put me back into the equation and I don't know how I feel about that. _

The crew had left, the hatch was sealed and the conn pod was ready for action.

"Initiating neural handshake in three…" Tendo announced.

"Don't worry, Gip, just follow me. You'll be fine." Raleigh gave her a thumbs up.

"Two…"

"Alright, " she took a deep breath. "I'm ready, I'm gonna kick the drift in its drift face!"

"One…"

Everything seemed to stop, including her core. Then with a rush her mind was pulled into the drift and tossed into a sea of memories and emotions that weren't hers.

She was nothing and everything, plunging into darkness. Don't chase the rabbit, don't chase the rabbit, don't chase the rabbit. She could feel his worry, his anxiety as he reached out to her. Their fingers intertwined and for a second she was safe, they were one.

"Neural handshake successful….no wait…it's happening again!"

"Pull the plug!"

"Gip' I can't hang on-!"

She couldn't open her eyes. Why couldn't she open her eyes? His grip was strong, but she still slipped away. Then suddenly Raleigh wasn't there anymore. She could feel every spark of the wires, every shift of the gears and the old power now returned. It was like slipping into an old dress. Gipsy Danger had reconnected with her old body.

Slowly, Gipsy opened her eyes. She wasn't in the hanger anymore. No, where was she? A grey beach, storm clouds overhead. Was it snowing? She should have felt cold but she didn't. What was this? Her vision crackled. Old drift residue, dream fuel for when she still had her original body.

A man sat before her, blooded smeared across his broken drive suit. Once bright eyes stared out across the ocean with a dead numbness. It seemed he didn't even notice she was there.

"Who…who are you?" Her voice shattered the silence.

His face contorted in confusion as he shifted to look at her, and in that second, Gipsy realized who he was.

"Yanc-?!"

* * *

Gipsy snapped awake with a startled gasp, fingers gripping the sanitized white sheets in fear. Without hesitation she was pulled into a warm embrace, her cheek pressing up against soft yarn that smelled like old spices.

"You're okay, you're okay," Raleigh murmured in relief as he hugged her. Mako stood beside him, running her fingers through Gipsy's hair soothingly. Her expression changed as she affixed Newt and Hermann, who were hovering over the end of the medical bed with worried expressions. "What happened out there?!"

"We don't know," Newt stuttered. "But we're really, really sorry! EXTREMELY sorry!"

"It looked like Gipsy Danger was about to chase the RABIT, " Hermann tapped his cane on the floor of the medical room. "But then…her brain flat lined…total and complete shutdown! It was like she wasn't even in her body anymore! Maybe if we could run more tests…"

"No more tests," Raleigh growled. "She could have died. Your lessons are over."

Hermann opened his mouth, but Newt grabbed his shoulder. "Of- of course, we understand! I mean, we wanna find about their teen!jaeger brains as much as the next guy, but we don't wanna hurt them in the process, yah know…?"

"Yes, yes," Hermann nodded. "We shall cease experiments immediately."

"No…" Gipsy whimpered quietly. Everyone paused to look at her.

"Hey, Gips, how you feeling?" Raleigh pulled back.

"Like a unicorn vomited all over my face," she groaned, clutching her head. "But…please don't stop the tests yet…I want to try again…please, one more time. "

"Gipsy, your brain shut down, you disappeared," Make replied quietly. "When that happens to humans in the drift, they die…"

"But, I didn't die! I reconnected with the machine…m-my old body. I wasn't able to do much except get lost in some drift residue…but…I think there's something in there."

"What do you mean?" Raleigh asked.

"I…." she gripped his arm, shoulders shaking. "I found someone."

"Gips', it's okay. Who did you find?"

She looked up at him, golden eyes full of tears. "I think I found Yancy."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	13. Commercial Break 2

**UPDATE: I am posting this from my tablet. A few days ago my lap top turned off, then wouldn't turn on again. Sadly, the next installment of teen jaegers (along with everything else) is on there and I can't get it off. I am attempting to get it fixed but I don't know when that will happen. The latest is next week an I am sorry for making you all wait this long.**

**In the meantime, with the next chapter already written I am now planning a "Halloween Episode" which is going to be full of costumes and sugar crazed jaegers, as well as maybe a run in or two with the hu!kaiju. *suspenseful music***

**I would love to hear your suggestions on what costumes the jaegers should wear. thank you for your patience :) **


	14. -AND WE'RE BACK

**((So, my lap top FINALLY got fixed, and I am back on track. Sadly I wasn't in time for the Halloween shenanigans, and I feel really bad about that. Instead, here is the next chapter. Thank you for your patience. Im sorry this took so long. ))**

* * *

"Look, I'm just saying…"

"I know what you're saying and I don't like it!"

"Gipsy," Crimson pleaded as he barely blocked her staff from cracking down on his shoulder. The force of it reverberated through his bones, causing him to take a step back. "Miss Mori has been tutoring me on drift theory. Trust me when I say that whatever you saw in the machine…was probably not Yancy."

"But no one's a hundred percent sure of that!" Panting, Gipsy retreated back. The two jaegers circled each other, bare feet slapping against the mat. It was early Saturday morning, which meant the teens were free to mess around in the kwoon before breakfast. Usually the time was dedicated to goofy challenges and light hearted sparring, but now a more serious tone had filled the room.

"Gipsy comrade has point," Cherno interrupted from his comfy seat across the room. Striker had challenged him to a wrestling match. Five seconds in and the Aussie was now being used as a cushion for the smug looking Russian. "What if when Knifehead rip him out, some of him stay behind?"

"Is that even possible," Striker wheezed from underneath him, grasping furtively at the mat. "Face it, dead is dead and there's nothing-OH GAWD CHERNO DID YOU JUST FART ON ME?!"

The Russian jaeger burst into a fit of giggles. "Your argument's now invalid!"

Sighing, Crimson decided to surrender the match. He lowered his staff and stepped to the side, a surprised Gipsy barreling past him and face planting on the mat. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up without any evidence. I'm trying to look out for you."

"Well, it doesn't seem like that to me," she huffed, blowing her tied tips off her face. To her chagrin, she noted that her raven locks were getting longer; they were now brushing her shoulders. Maybe it was time to ask Mako for another haircut?

"I don't understand why you're mad at me, I just don't want you to get hurt if it turns out Yancy isn't-"

"YOU SHUSH!" Pushing herself up, she brushed off her black sweats and began stomping away, "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to get breakfast!"

"Wow, Crimsy, you handled that situation worse than me," Striker grinned nonchalantly as he rolled away from Cherno into a standing position. "She is absolutely livid at you," laughing, he slapped his best friend's sweaty back.

The Chinese jaeger wasn't so cheerful, especially since Striker's hand had connected with a very tender bruise he had received for training so hard. A pained squeak escaped his lips. "Is she really mad at me? I was just trying to help…"

"I think Crimson Comrade is taking role as team leader too seriously," Cherno wagged his finger just like how he watched his Mama wag her finger at Papa. "Trying to fix things with words instead of punches to the face."

"Are you saying punching Gipsy in the face will make her feel better?"

"Nyet, am saying you do not know how to do the solving of comrades' problems. " His spine popped as he leaned back into a stretch, showing off thick muscles that both Striker and Crimson were jealous of. "Maybe…instead of the nay-saying words, you support her with the smiles and comrade punches." And with that, Cherno trotted off after Gipsy.

Striker crossed his arms, head shaking. "I don't know what he said, but it sounded deep."

"Let's just…get something to eat. The big guy's right, maybe I shouldn't butt in on everyone's business all the time," hooking the Aussie's arm, Crimson pulled him off to the mess hall.

* * *

The cement room was packed with the early morning bustle. The thick sent of pancake batter and eggs lofted through the air as messy faces with groggy eyes stumbled into line for their day-starting pick me up.

Gipsy's bottom lip quivered anxiously as Herc slapped a greyish white slop onto her plate. "What's this?!"

"It's a little thing called mashed potatoes, can't believe you never had them before." The older man cast a half glare, half amused look at Raleigh, who was hovering over Gipsy's shoulder.

Raleigh raised his hands mock apologetically, "is this going to affect my permanent record?"

"I'll let it slide, but only if you FINALLY man up and propose to Miss Mori," Herc grinned as his abrupt change of subject sent the younger man sputtering.

"Yeah!" Gipsy crowed, turning around to face her pilot with the eagerness of a puppy. "When are you going to marry her face?!"

"I'm working on it," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But…I might need some…help. I tried asking the Kaidenovsky's awhile back, but…"

"Say no more," Herc nodded in understanding. "If you ever need anything, today's my day off. In fact, me and the boy, er-Striker, are heading down to visit Chuck if you want to come with us."

The mood changed, and suddenly Raleigh's and Herc's smiles weren't so natural anymore. Gipsy could feel the sudden tension on the back of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Striker, tight jawed and oblivious. She was wondering why he looked so clean and well-shaven today, now she knew why.

"Is he still-?"

"Yeah,' Herc nodded. "It's funny, it's getting close to a year now and I keep thinking he'll wake up at any minute." His voice was low, hoarse. He was trying so hard to keep it light.

"I'm sorry, I can't make it today. Mako is designing a new jaeger concept and she wants me on standby. Next month, I'll be there."

"It's alright," Herc shrugged. "You're a busy man."

Gipsy noted the awkward silence between them as they walked back to the table. The rest of the pilots and jaegers were waiting for them, and she couldn't help but note the apologetic look Crimson was giving her from between his three big brothers.

She also spotted Tendo in his usual form of upheaval, balancing two coffee cups as he argued with Mako or some sort of schematic she had spread out over the table. He looked up when the three approached, his gaze zeroing on Herc. "Hansen, bad news."

The older man froze, potatoes halfway to his mouth, "yeah?"

"The Marshal has decided to take his spa day today, looks like you're in charge," he winced as Herc's jaw hardened, images of Pentecost smugly getting a facial dancing in his head.

"Alright, it's not like I had anything important to do today," his hand came down Striker's shoulder, who yelped in surprise. "Striker, can you take the trip without me?"

"Alone? Isn't that against regs' , Old Man?" He sneered.

In response, Herc gave Raleigh a pleading look.

He sighed, "Gipsy's free today, she can escort Striker."

"WHAT?!" The female jaeger stood up, her mashed potatoes flying from her plate and hitting one of the Wei Triplets in the face.

"WHAT?!" Striker spluttered on his apple juice, sending it all over Cherno's shirt.

"As acting Marshal I expect no back talk," an amused light was creeping back into Herc's eyes. "Now get ready, the train leaves in an hour."

* * *

** TO BE CONTINUED! **


	15. It's NOT a date! Pt 1

"I can't believe we missed the train!"

"Well maybe if you weren't such a slow runner-"

"I run perfectly fine! We could have made it if I didn't have to wait for SOMEONE to finish doing his hair!"

"Hey! Pride of the Aussies over here! It's my job to look this fine!"

"YOUR JOB IS TO KILL KAIJU! NOT SPEND HALF AN HOUR STYLING YOUR HAIR," Gipsy shouted, throwing the now useless train ticket at Striker Eureka's face.

Herc Hansen had deemed it okay to leave the teen jaegers responsible for catching the train on time, and unfortunately it had turned out to be the wrong choice. The two now stood on the empty station platform, braced against the chilled Alaskan wind.

Shivering, Gipsy pulled her dark blue wool coat tighter around her and bit her lip in frustration. Her black and red hair was tucked under a PPDC logo beanie, which was beginning to collect snowflakes beneath the ever darkening sky. "This sucks. I guess I have to call Tendo so he can send us a ride home…"

Striker perked up, scrunching his face behind his white scarf. "This is YOUR fault, so go home if you want. Me, I'm going to see Chuck."

Gipsy narrowed her eyes, "It's NOT my fault! And how are you going to get there? The hospital is all the way on the other side of the city and even if you ran there you'd still miss visiting hours."

His dark brown bomber jacket crinkled as he raised a thumb towards his face, "I'm Striker Eureka. I'll find a way."

At that moment, his cockiness almost resembled his older brother's. Seeing the likeness, Gipsy shook her head. "We were supposed to take the train. It was the safest way. We're going to get in so much trouble and I don't think I can survive being grounded for ANOTHER month!"  
"Stop being such a goody-goody and trust me, bucket head," he replied as he began striding back towards the parking a lot. The biting wind gnawed at his reddish-brown hair as he thought. He had to get to the hospital, it was his duty. Visiting hours ended at three, so he had roughly two hours to get there before closing. But how would he get there? Maybe it would have been easier to come up with a solution if he didn't have the girl of his dreams standing right next to him.

"Uh, Striker, hello?' Gipsy tilted her head as Striker slowly began to space out. "Do we have a plan yet…?'

"I'm working on it," he muttered half-heartedly as the ringing sound of a bicycle bell cut through the icy air.

"Louisa! H-Hey!" A familiar voice called out cheerily, demanding the two jaegers' attention. The frosty ground crunched beneath slim tires as the person approached, wrapped in thick black winter gear.

Gipsy's eyes lit up immediately, "RHOADES!"

"Rhoades," Striker glowered, silently praying to the Australia gods that a plague of rabid koalas would swoop down and drag his newfound nemesis away.

"This is the first time I've seen you two outside of school," silver eyes flashed beneath his hood, "what are you doing here?...n-not that I'm unhappy to see you, of course!"

"We were gonna go for a train ride," the female jaeger pouted, "but we missed it."

"That's terrible," he replied sympathetically, "where were you going?"

The two jaegers exchanged glances. If they told Rhoades the truth, no doubt he would have questions on how they were so close to one of the most famous jaeger pilots in the world, yet alone have the knowledge of where he was hospitalized.

"To see… family," Striker clenched his jaw.

"Together…?" Rhoades looked between the two, "you don't look like siblings….are you two….."

Gipsy and Striker exchanged horrified glances.

"NO! NOPE! WE'RE SIBLINGS! DEFINITELY SIBLINGS!" Gipsy shouted, turning a deep red. "IN FACT IM ONLY HEAR BECAUSE I HAVE TO. NOTHING LOVEY DOVEY HERE. NOPE. NUH-UH!"

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID! WHAT A STUPID THING TO SAY," Striker added, their combined shouts drawing the attention of passerby's. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CONVERSATION! I'M TAKING MY BUCKET HEADED IDIOT AND LEAVING! GIVE ME YOUR BIKE!"

"M-my bike…?" He looked down. 'I mean, wh-why?! "

"**DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY**," Striker shouted as he kicked Rhoades onto the pavement. Hopping onto the seat, he began to peddle away.

Shrieking with adrenaline, Gipsy jumped onto the back as he rode past.

"L-louisa! W-wait!"

"I'm sorry, Rhoades!" She called back apologetically. "It's an emergency! I promise I'll return your bike to you in one piece!"

**Half an hour later**

The storm clouds rolled in, thunderous and bellowing as the wind tore violently at the surf. Gipsy and Striker stood huddled on the icy wharf, staring over the newly-broken railing as the bike sunk deeper and deeper into the ocean.

"Well, this sucks."

**TOBECONTINUED!**

* * *

((oh gosh, how long has it been? I don't think I've posted anything since last year :P *gets shot* The last couple of months have been hectic. School has kept me incredibly busy. I've also been struggling with a lot of depression and anxiety that has kept me from doing the things I love, like writing this fic. Updates will be more frequent now. I wish i could say I'm back to the weekly schedule, but with school starting again that might not be the case ): Either way, you won't have to wait months for a chapter anymore. **Another thing, I want to take this time to shoutout to Mirtilo, DV, arrow cave, Xahras, Catmas, Buddy, Guest, and the fantastic Prophet21. I love you guys :3 And as always; read, review, enjoy :D **


	16. intermission with Otachi and Leatherback

Otachi lay on the rocky beach, her tail flicking idly. Her condition had worsened, and with the bouts of morning sickness Slattern had confined her to the mansion until Oni Baba found out what was wrong with her.

This meant that she was barred from the glory of the hunt, and her place in the pack had a temporary substitute: Knifehead. That creature's penchant for sharp objects always made her too weary to attempt a partnership, so they became mutual rivals instead.

She let out a huff and closed her eyes. Knifehead had been successful, too successful. More parts of Mother had been recovered, and were now being stitched together in the mansion's basement. Even at this early stage she could feel its gentle thrum through the earth, whispering to her in a language only the kaiju and their masters could understand.

One day, Mother would be complete, and her voice will shake the earth enough to crack it. It was the Precursors fallback plan if the breach was destroyed: plant agents to rebuild it….only this time from the other side.

Pebbles crunched beneath a heavy weight. She didn't need to open her eyes to recognize that Leatherback was coming to join her.

"I thought you'd be in your nest by now," Otachi murmured, furrowing her brow as her partner's hulking shadow was cast over her. Even sitting down, he just had to tower over her, didn't he?

"Just checking on my partner," the scarred kaiju scratched at his neck plates. "I wanted to see if you were gonna do any more throwing up today."

The female kaiju sat up, instinctively reaching for her stomach. Her eyes opened as she rubbed it suspiciously. It felt alright, for now, but she had noticed that it was beginning to get bigger. As subtle as it was, she still decided to hide it beneath a long, white dress shirt Leatherback had nicked her on his last excursion.

"I should never have told you, now the whole pack knows and Slattern is punishing me for it," She glared at him as the surf hissed at their feet and the grey clouds circled above.

In response, Leatherback rolled his broad shoulders, and snorted. He hated it when she mentioned their leader's name. "You're too smart to mean that, 'Tachi. You know why our 'Esteemed Alpha' is keeping you here."

"Really? Do tell. "

He lowered his voice to a dull rumble. "I've seen the looks he's been giving you…"

"I've never noticed," she lied.

Blue veins flashed through Leatherback's grey skin, swirling angrily on his arms and shoulders. Electricity thrummed in his chest as he gazed out along the beach. Most the kaiju were retired, though further down he could see Scunner doing some pre-sleep training with his brother. Fortunately, they were far enough away to not hear what he was about to say next.

"Otachi….Slattern would make you his queen if you only allowed it."

Leaning back, the female kaiju crossed her legs coyly. Cold amusement was flashing in her eyes. "Queen of the Kaiju? A dramatic title, but one I can get behind." She turned her head to look up at him. "But what about you? What would you do if I broke up this little partnership of ours for Slattern? "

Leatherback leaned closer, his eyes locking with hers. "I would let you go, but the next day I would challenge Slattern for Alpha."

She scoffed at this. "He'd kill you. Why would you do such a thing?"

"Because whoever is King…gets the Queen, and that's something I would risk my life for."

Otachi's eyes widened as he gently brushed her shoulder. It was the faintest of touches, but the meaning behind it was clear enough. Without another word, Leatherback pulled himself up and began walking back towards the mansion.

The female kaiju couldn't watch him go. She sat there, numb to all but the swirling thoughts in her head. Eventually, she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared darkly into the frigid waves.

"Why'd you say that? You're going to get yourself killed for me…"

**TOBECONTINUED! ((I can't write fluff. Someone please help me. I wanted to put this here before I released the conclusion to Striker and Gipsy's not-date. :3 Anywho, here are some replies to comments from the last chapter:  
**

**To Blood Skull: It's alright that you haven't reviewed in a long time. Im just glad you're reading my crappy story. haha**

**To Guest: Thanks for the support. If you wanna message me anytime, feel free! **

**To DV: GUESS WHAT I JUST UPDATED :D **

**To Buddy01: Thanks! And pacrim fanfic authors unite! **

**Prophet21: His bike is with Yancy now. RIP :P **

**Elhini Prime: AGHDLFH thanks for the comment! And I might be secretly stalking your newest pacrim fic. Sshhh :P **

**CatMaz: I really glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for sticking with this story, I greatly appreciate it :3**


	17. Its NOT a date! Pt 2

The two jaegers glumly watched the 'borrowed' bike sink into the ocean. Gipsy was so mad she felt half inclined to push Striker into the water with it. She had promised to take care of her friend's bike, and now she had failed. What type of jaeger was she?

"You look kinda mad, Gips," Striker stated softly, eyes never leaving the sight of the rolling waves. "Or maybe you're just constipated; I'm bad at reading emotions."

"No, I'm mad!" The teenager shrieked, ripping off her beanie and lobbing it at the Aussie's face. Now free, her black and red neck-length hair swirled around her head like a dark halo. "I told you to hit the brakes! Why didn't you listen?!"

* * *

**1 minute before the incident**

Striker had decided to take a shortcut, this meant riding downhill to the docks in order to gain some extra speed. Shop windows raced by as they zoomed down a near-empty side street, the wind tearing at their faces.

"WOW this is fast!" Gipsy cried out in excitement.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious, now hold on!" Striker whooped as yanked the handle bars, barely missing a parked car.

The sudden movement caused Gipsy to slip. Squeaking in surprise, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the nearest thing, which just happened to be Striker's waist.

_She was screaming a dead name into the winds, her eyes full of a terror he had never seen before. She was drowning, he was panicking, Striker had never watched a pilot die; Gipsy had. _

_ He didn't know how to save her, so he improvised. It was an impulse, but her body was quivering against his and all he wanted was his rival back. Skin against skin, her lips were so soft…_

"STRIKER!" Gipsy's death grip around his waist choked him out of his flashback.

"WHAT?" He snarled back at her, embarrassed to find himself blushing at old memories.

"BRAKE! PLEASE!"

Striker swiveled his head back around just in time to see the pier railing coming up to meet them. He had been so busy day dreaming he hadn't noticed that they had already got to the bottom of the hill, and now there was no more road.

It was too late to pull the breaks. "EJECT! EJECT!"

Striker jumped off the seat, while Gipsy merely slipped off the back. Both of them skidded onto the pavement as with a resounding CLANG the bike rammed into the railing, breaking right through it and splashing into the ocean below….

* * *

**Back to the present**

Striker grimaced at her question. What could he say to her? _Oh, it was nothing, Bucket-head. I was just remembering the time I kissed you so I wasn't paying attention. Oh? YOU don't remember me kissing you? Well you're an idiot, end of conversation, let's get some waffles. _

He didn't want to say that, so he said something stupider, "I couldn't hear you because I was too busy slowly being suffocated in your iron grip! Bloody heck, why'd I have to get stuck wif' you and your dinosaur hands? It's like you were raised by kaiju-AAEEE!" Striker let out an unmanly shriek as Gipsy suddenly tried to push him over the edge of the dock.

"YOU ARE SO MEAN! GO BACK TO AUSTRALIA YOU MEANY-BUTT POOP NUGGET," Gipsy roared and stepped back from Striker. Red hot fury burned in her ember eyes as with a swirl of her messy hair she turned and began stomping away.

"Hey! Where are you running off to?!" Striker called after her indignantly.

"I have to obey Raleigh's orders, so I'm going to the hospital even if I have to deal with a jerk like YOU!"

"Fine then," He yelled back," but I'M the one who knows the way so I better lead!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

* * *

**Half an hour later, both jaegers were completely lost. AND it was raining. AND Gipsy had lost her coat to a horde of rabid stray cats. Don't ask. **

The storm was creeping over the mainland now, a torrential downpour assaulting the streets as the two jaegers ran for cover.

Striker was faring much better than Gipsy, as he wasn't slowly freezing to death in nothing but jeans and a soggy blue tank top. He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eyes…

"I told you not to harass that cat!" He berated her as they ran.

"I just wanted to pet it, I didn't know it was gonna' shake me down! The cats in Alaska are hardcore, okay?!" Wet hair clung to her face as frosty clouds slipped out of her mouth. It was so cold; the rain was slowly turning to snow.

She just looked so cold and miserable; a tinge of unfamiliar worry swam in Striker's stomach. Yeah, she was annoying, but she WAS his team mate….and friend….

Water splashed as he skidded to a halt. Gipsy turned to look at him, surprised.

"What are you-"

"Here," Striker grunted, slipping off his jacket and draping it over Gipsy's head. She could only stare at him as warmth slowly began to seep back into her body.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Striker turned away, blushing furiously. "My coat is on loan to you until the hospital. No take backs."

"But aren't you gonna' freeze?"

"Idiot, state of the art jaegers like me are too hot to freeze," he shot her a cocky grin before taking off running again.

Shaking her head in exasperation, Gipsy followed.

It was only by luck they found the hospital, but they found it all the same. A quick check-in and the two were soon seated in a dark room, listening to the howling wind and low beeping of the medical machines.

They sat side by side on plastic chairs, puddles of water collecting underneath them as they held silent vigil over the hospital bed where Chuck lay.

To Striker's dismay, he looked more worn than last time. He had lost weight, and his skin was deathly pale. His breath came out in low rasps and his reddish brown hair was matted to his head. It almost didn't look like Chuck. No…Striker's big brother wasn't supposed to look like this.

_It had happened during the final conflict. Striker and Gipsy had been charged with closing the breach. He knew they could do it, Chuck's raw adrenaline was surging through his wires, and Pentecost's cold endurance made him feel like they could take on anything. He was the machine that would carry his pilots to victory. _

_ But then Slattern was tearing into him. Warning signs were flashing and his systems were failing. For once, he felt an emotion all his own: fear. _

_ A claw tore into his neck. Systems overloaded. He panicked, why did he always panic? He tried to re-direct the surge so it didn't affect the nuke. It was supposed to circulate back into his core… _

…_but it went into Chuck instead. _

_It was his fault Chuck was like this. He had made a mistake, one mistake, and now Chuck was in a coma. How could Herc even look at the machine that hurt his son? How could Herc even call Striker as his own? From that day, Striker vowed never to make a mistake ever again. _

"We should have brought flowers," Gipsy once against stirred him from his reverie. "This place is gloomy. It reminds me of the building we broke into to save Coyote Tango," she shuddered.

"Chuck doesn't like flowers, they remind him of his mother," Striker replied quietly, eyes glued to the heart monitor. "Next time, we'll bring Max. That should cheer him up…"

The chair creaked as Gipsy leaned forward to look at him. "You know a lot about him."

"Well duh. I'm his jaeger. I was the conduit for his thoughts for years…"

"I mean…you care about him a lot. You're not a jerk to him at all."

"Well maybe that's because he's in a coma."

"I'm just trying to say maybe you should act like you care more often, especially around your friends," she huffed in reply.

_Act like you care more often…_

Striker surveyed her face, still slick from rainwater, then back at Chuck. _She had stuck with him, even when they missed the train and wrecked Rhoade's bike. She could have gone home when he insulted her, but she stayed. If he cared so much for her, he could trust her with his feelings, right?_

He wouldn't be making a mistake, not this time. "Hey, Bucket-Head, I gotta tell you something…"

"What?"

"That night when we were lost at sea…and you were stuck in a memory…"

"Y-yeah?"

"Look, I….I was scared…and…and I kissed-"

Their attention was suddenly jerked to the heart monitor as it began to pick up pace. Blankets rustled, and with a small groan…

…Chuck opened his eyes.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! **

**((It is 2 in the morning over here, and I am dead tired. ****Here's to Catmaz, Elhini Prime, K. Seitshiro, Blood Skull, Guest, Xahraxs, Prophet21, The Dude, Olicity, AF, Jaegermeister97, and GTA2000. This one is for you guys**

**Also to The Dude Again: Holy crap that would be amazing if you made a comic! If you do, please send me a link! :D **


	18. Well, Chuck is Back

**1 week later**

Coyote hummed happily as he wheeled himself down the hall, lap occupied with a backpack full of homework from the finished school day. For once, his core wasn't beating erratically in his chest and his arms didn't shake against the push of the wheels. It was turning out to be a very good day-

"ON YOUR LEFT, WANKER!"

The jaeger gave a frightened squeak as with a thunderous roll Chuck Hansen powered past in a wheelchair of his own. A few heartbeats later, his father came sprinting by, only slowing down long enough to cast Coyote Tango an apologetic look, "sorry about me boy…CHUCK! GET BACK!"

"I DON"T NEED YOR 'ELP, OLD MAN!" The younger Hansen shouted back as he rounded a corner, causing screams of panic from more victims caught in the path of the hot-headed Aussie.

The sandy haired teen!jaeger let out a dilapidated sigh, sinking into his sweatshirt. "I'm glad your son is out of the hospital, Mr. Hansen," he called out hoarsely after them, hoping his words sounded more genuine than he felt.

* * *

"'Docs say he'll be outta' that wheelchair and walking in a couple more weeks. Apparently snoozing for a year does something to your legs," Striker announced. He and Crimson were currently perched on a catwalk high above the jaeger bay, surrounded by pilfered goods from the cafeteria. All around them rang the cacophony of the shatterdome crews prepping and caring for the massive metal behemoths that surrounded them.

Striker found it a little unnerving, staring at the towering shell of a robot that used to be him. It was like staring at his own corpse. The thought made him shudder as he kicked his legs over the edge of the catwalk.

Crimson stabbed a straw into a juicebox, slurping it thoughtfully. "Herc was near tears when he first heard the news. On the other hand, it's been a week and you still don't look as overjoyed as I thought you would. "

"What do you want from me? I'm glad he's back but I'm not gonna' run around throwing confetti in people's faces because of it," Striker huffed. He glared ruefully down at the bay floor where the two Hansens could be seen talking specs with their crew.

"But he's your pilot. I mean, you haven't even talked to him since he first woke up."

"What am I supposed to say? He doesn't even know we're jaegers. He just thinks we're a bunch of random adoptee brats until the Marshal decides he's well enough to take the shocking truth," he replied sarcastically. "Besides, how can I talk to him when I already know what he's going to say…"

Crimson lowered his gaze. "He's still having problems with his memories, isn't he?"

"The docs say they don't know what happened, but I know**. I know.** "

"Striker…" his voice was soft; he knew where this was going.

"He has blanks in his memory; empty spaces in his head that should be filled," his voice rose, growing more desperate. "You've always said I have more Chuck in me than Herc, yah' ever wondered why? Those memories that he's missing, **I have them**!"

"You're talking about the overload that happened…"

"I tried to save him…I tried to hang on but instead I ripped him apart. He doesn't remember our-…his mom. She was so bloody important to him but now he doesn't even recognize her name. But I do, Crimsy, **I do** because I stole those memories from him." The railing creaked as his gripped it, eyes swirling with emotion.

"But, it wasn't your fault," Crimson tried to touch his shoulder, but Striker angrily brushed it off.

"I'm the one who tore apart his mind and left him in a coma, so shaddup," he snarled, eyes never leaving Chuck. "Yah know, why do yah have to be this way? Crimson Typhoon, Hero of Hong Kong, never had a problem in his life yet he still think he knows how to fix everyone else's," his words were biting, cold.

It was like a slap to Crimson's face. " Y-you…really think I'm like that..?"

Striker sneered at the look of shock on his friend's face, "Don't look like that, it makes me want to punch you."

"B-but Striker-"

"We're done here, I've had enough of your pity," he growled, pulling himself up and stalking away, leaving Crimson surrounding by empty juice boxes, a pained look on his face.

His chest hurt, and suddenly the drink Crimson had didn't taste so sweet. He knew Striker was lashing out because of his pain over Chuck, but the words still stung…

Worse still, they might even be true.

Eyes flickering, he gazed forlornly down at the bay floor, where a familiar figure appeared. "Is Striker right? Am I just making your problems worse, Gips'? " he murmured.

* * *

Down on the floor, Gipsy Danger strode wearily towards her two pilots, her stride awkward due to being clad in a newly cleaned drift suit.

On the way, she passed the Hansen's; eye contact was made. Herc's eyes were bright, his face slack with contentment despite currently being in an argument with his son. He looked happy to argue, because that meant that Chuck was alive and talking, that he was still with him.

She couldn't help the pang of jealously that settled in her stomach, that longing ache that she knew would never quite go away…

…unless she pulled this off.

"All equipment is ready and has been cleared, are you sure you want to do this?" Mako looked at her in concern, clipboard grasped firmly in hand.

"I just…I just want one more go…" she exchanged grim looks with Raleigh. "The new system Mako installed should pull me out if I….if I disappear again, right? Nothing to worry about," she tried to grin.

"One more go," Raleigh finally gave his consent.

"Just to make sure."

"Just to make sure,' he replied softly, knowing full well what, or who, she was going to be looking for inside the drift. "But the second I see trouble, I'm pulling you out."

"You got my back, big brother," she gently punched his arm as she loaded onto the lift, trying to keep her breathing steady. She was scared, yet so ready to go at the same time. Just one more go at linking up with her old form…

Because if Chuck could come back, maybe Yancy could, too…

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! ((this chapter was mostly dialogue, sorry! D: There will finally be action next chapter, I promise :) Also, thank you all for the reviews! Whenever I'm feeling the writer's block I look over them all for inspiration. :3 )) **


	19. Reunion

**Take a breath**

**3….**

**2…**

**1…**

**Step off the ledge**

It swept Gipsy away like a tidal way, her mind crashing against the jagged blue depths of the drift. She was a jaeger drowning, she needed to find something to latch onto and stay afloat.

There! A more prominent memory fragment; vivid and uncrack-ed. Her consciousness latched around it desperately, but not too hard to chase the rabit. She straddled it like a surfboard, sighing in relief as the memory lazily rode the current.

This wasn't normal drifting. A solo ride like this could kill a human, but then Gipsy Danger wasn't exactly human now, was she. No, the drift was different; it was more remnants and ghosts then actual thought and memories. The human element had been taken out, and Gipsy had been left to explore the graveyard of a past life. She was reuniting with the machine; she was reuniting with herself.

"Come in, Gipsy Danger. You there?"

She looked up, surprised at the voice crackling through the air. "Mr. Choi? Hi!"

There came a light chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes. What can you see?"

"It…it's such a jumble, like a messy neural handshake. There are no minds to be synced up so everything is just kinda' floating here. "

"Alright. Well, you're vitals are still in the safe zone; neural load is surprisingly even thanks to that freaky jaeger brain of yours-"

There came a sharp noise as Raleigh no doubt slapped the back of Tendo's head. "Er-sorry. Just…you're stable, so you've been given an all-clear to continue your mission."

"Okay, thanks!" A thrill of excitement tickled her chest as she looked around her at the streams of data. She could feel the pull of her old body all around her, quietly beckoning her to dive further into old familiarity.

"Alright…I can do this….I can do this," she breathed. In order to find who she was looking for, she had to go deeper.

"Here I go," her fingers tentatively slipped over the memory as she released her grip and slid back beneath the surface. She closed her mind's eye, allowing herself to feel as heavy as possible as she sank past the echoes of the drift.

Blue faded into black as echoes vanished into thick silence. End of the line. Here, blood turned to metal and she was having trouble remembering which body she belonged to.

Eventually, her feet touched bottom and that was where she found him. He was just a flicker of light; more of an afterthought than a thing of any substance, but she still recognized him. How could she not?

Nervous, Gipsy hugged herself. The defining moment had arrived, and she was almost too scared to make a move. What if she was wrong? What if this was nothing but drift residue? Could she live that?

"Only one way to find out,' she murmured to herself before tentatively reaching out. "Um…Y-Yancy…?"

"Raleigh, listen to me. You need to-"

"Yancy? Hello?" She moved closer, and placed a hand on his ghostly back. He was in his drive suit, the armor shredded and torn. His helmet was cracked.

"Raleigh, listen to me. You need to-"He flickered again, repeating his last words like a broken record.

Gipsy bit her lip. If this was a mere memory, then she could only observe; not interact. Time for the final test.

The armor felt solid enough. Core beating rapidly, she grabbed his arm and gently spun him around to meet her.

"Raleigh, listen to me. You need to-"

"Yancy," her voice was soft. "Yancy…are you there?"

"Raleigh, listen to me. You need to-" flicker again; restart.

"Please…can you hear me?"

"Raleigh listen to me-"

"No! YOU listen to ME!" She pleaded, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her head against his chest. "I know you're more than just residue. Some part of you HAD to survive, I know it! Please…Yancy…I can't lose you again. "

There was a pause, a stutter, as if something inside of the apparition was fighting against its programming.

"…It's dark. Where's Raleigh," his voice came faint, unsure of himself.

Gipsy stifled a gasp, tears running down her face. "It-It's okay, Raleigh's coming. Everything's gonna' be okay. We're never going to lose you ever again…Big Brother."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED!


	20. Sibling Rivalry

**TAKES PLACE DURING THE EVENTS OF LAST CHAPTER**

Chuck was stewing in his wheelchair, scowling at the crowd of people crowded around the console. Everyone seemed to be so intent on watching some scruffy orphan (Gipsy Danger) test the drift. It was ridiculous. AND they were blocking his view. Hello, disabled man here!

"What a load of crap," he scoffed, and turned to wheel away, but someone blocked his path.

"Erm…" Striker Eureka gazed at his pilot awkwardly, mouth twitching into a forced smile.

"Outta my way, ya bint' "He snarled, eyes fiery. Despite his current condition, Chuck hadn't lost any of his spitfire attitude.

"Make me, "Striker hissed back, the surprise gone and replaced with his usual bite. Some of the people in the crowd turned slightly to see what the noise was about.

"Ya think yer so tough'," Chuck jerked his wheelchair, pushing Striker forcefully out of the way as he wheeled into the hallway. Red faced in indignation, the jaeger followed.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

"Wha? Did my Old Man send ya to spy on me?"

"OUR old man…"

"Oh yeah, I forgo'. He thought I was nevah' gonna wake up again so he got YOU as a replacement," he practically yelled into Striker's face.

There it was, like a wall of bitterness that had settled in between them. To wake up a year later to find his memories damaged AND with a 'new adopted brother' had been a surprise to Chuck, to say the least, he didn't take it well. How could Striker tell him the truth when he was ordered not to? From the start, he knew his pilot hated him, and he couldn't do anything about it but hate back, because that was the only way he knew how.

"You think it's like that? The old man was always about you, not me!"

"So yer jealous, that it? Is tha' why you tried so hard ta be me?" Chuck sneered, reaching up and tugging Striker's leather jacket, a direct copy of his own. "Face it, brat, a replacement is nevah' as good as the original."

Chuck always knew how to strike a nerve. "IF YOU WEREN"T IN THAT WHEELCHAIR RIGHT NOW I'D DECK YOU!"

"Ya'd try,' he leaned in close. "Ya think a bat like you could match my moves?'

"Oh, I know your moves far better than you'd think," Striker's eyes flashed as he got into a battle stance that made Chuck pause. Something familiar rattled in the fiber of his being. He'd seen that move before, hell, he felt it; made it himself. "How do you know-"

Suddenly the speakers blared, shattering the tension. "Alert Success: Gipsy Danger Drift Test complete," followed by cheering of the shatter dome crews.

The hallway fell silent. Striker looked at Chuck; Chuck looked at Striker.

"Two weeks, and I'll be on my feet and ready ta break ya nose," Chuck finally exclaimed as he began to wheel away.

" Two weeks till I put you back in that wheelchair," Striker muttered back, listening to his pilot move away. Once Chuck was gone and out of sight, Striker visibly relaxed.

"…that went better than expected…"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! **

**((Sorry for short chapter, I guess this was more of an interlude than an actually progression of the story. I might update again this week if I have time (its finals week though, so blegh TnT) ALSO SUPER SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO Wowza, Xahraxs, knightpheonix2, Blood Skull (it's okay bby I appreciated the effort you take to review, you can take a break :P ) Buddy01, CatMaz (who is super cute) Seitshiro14, Prophet21 (awesome icon), CrazyKarma, and last but truly not least ShepardisaBOSS. THANK YOU ALL! And as always: read, review, enjoy :D**

**EDIT: SPECIAL THANKS TO T'LIANA FOR HELPING ME WITH CHUCKS ACCENT! **


	21. ITS HAPPENING

Cherno opened his eyes. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his core. It was the morning after Gipsy's drift test, and darkness filled his room.

Rustling the covers, the Russian jaeger sat up, careful not to disturb the giant fluff of a dog still snoozing at his feet. There was a dark feeling pulsating inside his chest, something fiery and all too wrong.

Lowering his glowing gaze, he pressed a hand to his bare abs, mouth tugged into a thoughtful frown. Like a ghost from the past, something was calling to him. He had to answer.

Clumsily, he fumbled around in the shadows for a shirt, grabbing one at random from the mess on his floor, and slipped it on. Slowly, he opened his bedroom door and crept out into the hall.

The sun had yet to break the horizon, and the last of night was still lingering in the corners of the small apartment. Snores rumbled from the master bedroom, signifying that at least Sasha was still asleep. Cherno tip toed past the closed door as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake his pilots. Every creak in the floor he quieted with a "shhh" and every vase or book stand he almost knocked over was profusely apologized to.

Despite the slight commotion, his pilots remained fast asleep as he slipped out the front door and into the halls of the Shatterdome's living quarters.

* * *

None of the crews were up yet. Mondays were always slow, as they had little to do with the jaegers off to school. Cherno was left alone to follow the feeling tearing at his core...until he ran into a certain someone.

"Oof," Gipsy's cry was muffled as she stumbled blearily into Cherno. The younger jaeger barely came up to his chest, so it was easy for him to catch her.

"Gipsy? Why up so early?"

"Could'mt swleep'," She murmured tiredly, looking up at him with dark circles beneath her usually bright golden eyes. It was the complete opposite of yesterday, where she had practically been crying for joy at the discovery of Yancy. "I got...bad feelings in my core...I don't like it."

"You have the bad feelings, too? " He tightened his grip around her as she leaned against him, eyelids drooping sleepily. "Perhaps not a co-sindy-dunce...co-win-dunce...?"

"Coeincidence?" She yawned. "I dunno', I just...I just got this urge to follow it."

"Dah, our feelings the same."

"Then I guess we'll have to follow it together..."

Cherno lead the way, bare feet slapping against the cement floor as a still half-asleep Gipsy clung to the back of his shirt, toddling after him like the little sister he never had. Half-way to the cafeteria they discovered a disorientated Crimson Typhoon pressing his bed-head up against the wall.

"Can you feel it?" He murmured, eyes glazed over slightly. "-like there's voices in the stone..."

The feeling was stronger now, like a thrumming that vibrated the air around them. Gipsy merely took Crimson's hand and added him to the train of jaegers as they proceeded on their journey.

Striker was in the hanger, wearing nothing but grey boxers and a bull dog plush clutched to his chest. He stared at his friends in anxious confusion, for once his words failing him. Crimson motioned for him to follow, but didn't take his hand, the sting of a recent argument still fresh in his mind.

Coyote Tango and Tacit Ronin were waiting for them out on the landing dock. Coyote was standing for once, leaning up against Tacit with the ocean wind buffeting his tan sweatshirt. He eyed the other jaegers knowingly while Tacit remained with her eyes locked firmly on the horizon, snowy hair a mad halo swirling around her head.

"D-d-d-do you guys feel it?" His voice was soft, searching.

"Yeah," Striker sounded pained.

"I know this feeling...I should know this feeling," Crimson exclaimed as the first rays of the sun began to peak over the waves. "We should all know this feeling."

It was a deep thrumming within their beings, primordial and new all at the same time. They didn't know it but where their memories failed them, their bodies still responded.

Tacit was the first to realize it. "You have all gone soft in your human bodies. Jaegers of your caliber should recognize when your old instincts are trying to tell you something."

Blinking slowly, she turned to them, eyes cold with a dark light. "Those are rift vibrations...the Kaiju are coming back."

* * *

Cackling madly, Oni Baba pulled her pincers out of the organic mess of nodes and nerve endings, wiping the kaiju blue off on her rivets before turning to Slattern. A mad grin cracked through the greasy black hair that covered her face, the crab part of her scuttling into a bow. "Initial tests are complete. Mother is getting stronger. She is almost ready to re-open the rift. "

"Fine work," Slattern purred beneath his hood, tail swaying as he eyed the technological monolith before it. "Does Mother need any more parts?"

"Just one more...something to connect it all together."

"Just tell me."

"We need the core of a jaeger."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED! Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter! I wrote this chapter while super sick and drugged up on Nyquil so if there are any errors please tell me. Also thank you for sticking with this story for so long. It means a lot to me that even though I get chapters out late and sometimes time between them are super spaced out you guy still check in and read. It means so much to me, even if it doesn't for you. Again, thank you. :3


	22. a small tidbit

Raiju's skin was too smooth.

His nose was too crooked.

His tail was too short.

At night, he still dreamed of the hardened shell that used to protect him, of the ferocity of his teeth against metal. In another life, he was Slattern's guard, something to be feared.

But in this life….he was just scared.

" I know," his voice came out hoarse. "I know what you're trying to do."

Scunner towered over him, neck gills fluttering silently. He wasn't the most expressive kaiju, but his body movements said enough as he held out the pile of ripped cloth. It was Raiju's old sweatshirt, now reduced to bits.

Raiju had gotten into a scuffle with Mutavore at feeding time. The larger kaiju had ripped through the sweatshirt but was stopped by Scunner before he could get father in. And by stopped, the author means that there's a new Mutavor-shaped hole in one of the walls of the mansion.

"I know the laws of the pack. We aren't equal partners anymore…y-you….you don't have to stick with me…." He whispered, tail lashing about nervously. "Y-y-you can find a better brother…o-one th-that's not so weak…"

A low rumble vibrated from Scunner's throat as he leaned over to ruffle Raiju's dark hair. "No," he replied gently, patting his younger brother on the head. Raiju sniffled greatfully, his tail interlocking with Scunner's.

"Th-thank you…."

* * *

**((IM NOT DEAD! suffering from a severe case of writer's block. Like, I know what I want to write but I just can't write it, yah know? I needed to write something, so here's a tidbit of kaiju brothers. PLEASE HELP I NEED INSPIRATION TnT Hopefully this will help. Either way, new update next week. **


	23. Skool Daze

Winter had arrived. Striker didn't want to admit it but the cold was eating away at him. He craved the heat of a place where the days weren't so skewed and he didn't have to go to school in the frosty dark.

The teacher was trying to give a lecture on the history of the kaiju war, but the Aussie was tuned out. He didn't need a lecture when he lived it. Instead, he focused on the flurry of snow battering against the window, slowly burying the school yard below him.

"This sucks,' he muttered.

"Get used to it, this is just the beginning," there was a snicker next to him. Striker turned to look at his desk mate, a blonde haired varsity type boy.

"Easy for you to say, Warren, you were birthed in this crap," Striker scowled.

"You missed the hunting trip last week. My dad was even willing to teach you how to shoot and everything," Warren scoffed.

"I had things to do. Deal with it."

"What's your problem, man? You don't want to join any of the teams; you don't want to hang out with the rest of the guys. You just want to be all broody and crap. Screw you."

"Screw you too."

"….We still on for lunch?"

"Of course."

"Sweet. "

There was a meaningful cough from the teacher. Striker and Warren instantly stopped talking before they could get in trouble. Striker turned back to the window. It was going to happen eventually. He was going to have to branch out and start interacting with the humans on his own. He just secretly hoped he wouldn't slip up. He was in the home of Gipsy Danger, he couldn't make any mistakes or he would never hear the end of it.

"By the way…" Warren leaned back over to him. Striker could smell the cologne radiating off his jersey; thick and too mature for him. "The dance is next week, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's not like you freaks mention it every five minutes."

Warren ignored the snide comment. "so, you going with anyone?"

Striker turned away, glancing out the window and across the yard to where another classroom sat, golden light shining through the gloom. He could barely make out Gipsy's signature ponytail. "I got someone picked out, haven't asked them yet…."

* * *

Too many books and too many words; Gipsy could hardly keep still at her desk. It was official, math was worse than the kaiju. Groaning, she let her head meet her desk with a dull thunk. The noise echoed through the quiet room. Heads turned slightly, then went back to their own problems.

Beside her, Cherno's brain was slowly melting. Perplexed, he tugged at the sides of his hat. "**If Paul is driving 30 mph while kaiju attacking, how many jaegers will it take to screw in lightbulb? **THIS STORY PROBLEM IS STUPID."

"All story problems are stupid. The precursors should have tried to wipe them out instead of the humans," Gipsy muttered out of the side of her mouth. "Mako is a math goddess; I wish I inherited more of her smarts."

"Me too…."

Idly, both turned to Crimson Typhoon sitting behind them. He instantly gave them a disgusted look to combat their imploring ones. "Oh, stereotyping now, are we?!"

Gipsy and Cherno silently turned back around.

"Why do we even have to do this?" The female jaeger whispered. " I understand the Marshal wants us to have human experience in case…you know…we're like this forever….but I'd still rather be out there fighting those weird kaiju hybrid thingies. I mean, WHO KNOWS what they're doing right now! Maybe something evil? Probably something evil."

"Dah, which is why I have formed idea," Cherno muttered, leaning closer to her. "There is a thing the humans do when they do not want to go to the school. I hear it is called 'Hooky' "

"Hoo-kee?" Her curiosity was instantly piqued.

" Dah," he repeated. " Apparently to do it when must cover ourselves in hooks, then run away from school as fast as we can. The teachers can't catch us if we are covered in hooks because they are pointy and no one wants to touch those. "

"That's….that's BRILLIANT!" Gipsy quietly squee'd, wiggling her legs. "Let's do that tomorrow!"

"I am for it! But don't tell Crimson because he is the pooper of the party."

"You do know that I'm right behind you? I can hear everything you're saying," Crimson sighed in exasperation.

"Shhhh Crimsy," Gipsy threw her schoolwork at him. "You and your bowel movements stay out of this!"

Crimson pouted, and scratched his head. "No one seems to want to have anything to do with me…."

Outside, the snow continued to fall, and while the jaegers lamented, the kaiju plotted.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED! Special shoutout to Catmaz and CrazyKarma for the kind messages and awesome ideas! You really helped me get my inspiration back, so this chapter is specially dedicated to you. Thank you. :3 **


	24. IM NOT DEAD

**_Jerim here for a quick update to let you know Im not dead! Update is coming out on saturday so be prepared!_**

**This chapter is gonna be a long one, and is going to be about the dance and what happens after *throws suspense sparkles* **

**Thank you for your patience, and feel free to speculate on who is going with who. Will Striker finally get the nerve to ask Gipsy? and will she say yes? Will anyone love Crimson? And what happens in a certain jaeger runs into a certain kaiju on the night of the dance?!**

**STAY TUNED**


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